Corner of Your Heart
by tuesdaysonthephonetome
Summary: Pure, unadulterated Literati fluff and the joy it brings to the world. Each chapter is a little snippet into Jess and Rory's lives starting two and a half years postfinale. Some LL too. ON HIATUS.
1. Eight Days a Week

**A/N:** This was supposed to be a oneshot, but I just kept writing, so here we are. These are just snippets into the life of the Literati starting two and a half years after the series ends. All the chapter names are lyrics or names of songs. Please review, I enjoy feedback good and bad, and I'd love to hear some ideas, because I'm open to suggestions! Thanks for reading, I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Not the characters nor the show nor the songs. If I did own Gilmore Girls, seasons 4-7 would have been very different.

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Jess had never been so nervous in his entire life. And he didn't like it. Not at all. He paced the small apartment he used to live in so long ago thinking about those years of high school, these past two years, this coming night. This big, big night. He needed to calm down. As soon as he thought that, he practically fell into one of the two chairs at the small table. He pulled a book out of his back pocket and tried to read it, but even Hemingway couldn't hold his attention tonight. His eyes drifted meaninglessly over the page while his left hand absentmindedly fiddled with the tiny box in his pocket. Tiny, but important.

The door of the apartment opened, and Luke jumped about three feet in the air.

"Ah, jeez!" Luke yelled. "Jess! What are you doing here?" He was smiling. Jess smiled back.

"I'm here to see Rory."

"Yeah, but why are you in my apartment?" Luke frowned, suddenly realizing he hadn't let Jess in, nor had he seen him in the diner. "How did you get in my apartment?"

"The same way I always have," Jess replied vaguely, smiling. "And you don't live here anymore, so what are _you_ doing here?"

"I need to call my meat guy, he's trying to pretend I didn't order any turkey, and when I'm in the diner he likes to pretend he can't hear me over the noise." Luke grinned down at his nephew. "You look good, Jess."

"Thanks."

"You look nervous."

Jess gave his uncle a meaningful look.

Luke sat down in the other chair. "Why are you nervous?"

"Because," Jess tried to think up a good excuse but found none, so he avoided the question, "because I am."

Luke frowned in confusion. "You're going to see Rory. You and Rory have been going out for two years now and you're nervous tonight?" Suddenly it dawned on him. "Wait, are you going to propose?"

Jess smirked. "Maybe."

"Oh my god, you're going to propose!"

"Would you keep it down?"

"Jess, this is great!"

"I hope so," Jess shrugged.

"What do you mean, you hope so?" Luke looked concerned.

"It's just that -" Jess began uncomfortably, his gag reflex to keep his old walls up doing bloody battle with his thristy longing for advice. He battered down the walls and tumbled out, "What if she says no? What if she doesn't want to marry me?"

Luke leaned back in his chair and smiled across the table at his nephew. His nephew who'd grown so much since the surly teenager who failed high school because he refused to go to class. Who used to speak in monosyllables only, if at all. Who was sitting in front of him, guard down, voicing real concern, showing Luke his worries. "She'll say yes," Luke assured him.

"How do you know?"

"I just do. I know Rory, and I know you. She'll say yes." Luke was completely sure of it.

"Yeah..." Jess wasn't so sure. She'd said no to someone she'd told she loved before. He wasn't sure he'd grown enough for her. He wasn't sure she'd grown enough to say yes.

"Can I see the ring?" Luke asked.

Jess pulled the box he'd been fingering all evening out of his pocket and handed it to Luke. Luke opened the box and his smile got even bigger. "That's Rory," was all he said before he handed it back to Jess.

Jess checked the clock on the wall. "I gotta go," he told Luke, standing up. Luke stood too, walked over to Jess and gave him a big, Reassuring Uncle hug.

Jess smiled up at his uncle, took a deep breath, and walked out of Luke's apartment, still more nervous than he'd ever been in his life.

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Press the pretty button, please: 


	2. The Best Thing

**a/n:** Wow! Thanks so much for all the nice reviews already! You guys rock! Keep them coming, they give me ideas. For instance, I actually was not going to mention the actual event of Jess popping the question to Rory, but so many people asked for it, so I added it in as a memory. You may notice, I do leave chunks of time out, but that's because these are just snippets of Jess and Rory's life together, rather than one cohesive story plot, so I do leave quite a bit to the imagination. But if you want to know more, tell me and I'll most likely give it to you! Thanks again!

**Disclaimer:** Nothing is mine. I live in a cardboard box that belongs to my dog on a street corner that belongs to the state. Not really, but I still don't own anything.

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"Big day. Big, big day." Rory continued to march around the room in a small panic.

Lorelai was grinning so big she thought she might pull a muscle. "My baby," she said, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "You look so beautiful."

"Big day," Rory said again as if it was an explanation.

"Yes, I know it's a big day," Lorelai said in Baby Rory Voice, then she grinned again. "My baby's getting married!"

Jess. Rory was marrying _Jess._ If some long haired, barefoot, bell wearing psychic had come up to Lorelai years ago while Jess and Rory were dating the first time, and told her that one day those two would be getting married - well, first of all Lorelai would've been pretty freaked out that a hippie psychic was following her around, and second she probably would've had a fit. Or a heart attack. Or hired a large man named Tiny to dispose of Jess quietly. But he'd grown up so much since then, and her little Rory wasn't so little anymore. To her surprise, Lorelai actually liked Jess now. It came as a shock to not only her, but the whole town. But it was how it was, Lorelai and Jess got along just fine, which was especially good seeing as Luke and Lorelai were married, and Jess was a big part of Luke's life, as well as Rory's. Lorelai saw how well Rory and Jess clicked, and he took care of Rory now. All things considered, Lorelai couldn't have chosen a better husband for her daughter. Well, Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty, perhaps, but Jess came in as a close second.

As Lorelai was absorbed in her thoughts, Rory continued to pace around the living room, breathing a little too fast to be normal. "Rory, honey, you gotta calm down."

"But, mom!" Rory cried in full distress. "What if he's changed his mind? What if he suddenly realized how much work I am? What if we're not really supposed to be together?"

"What did the pro con lists say?" Lorelai prompted.

"They came out hugely in Jess's favor," Rory admitted. "But -"

"And who proposed to whom?"

"He did to me. But -"

"And what did he say when he asked you?"

Rory paused, a tiny pout in her lips, remembering that very special night. Jess had been so nervous, and she had had no idea why. All night, he kept reaching into his pocket and giving her that oh-so-adorable crooked smile that turned her heart into a puddle at her feet. They'd gone to dinner and then a movie, which they had mocked mercilessly the entire time, and then they'd gone to the bridge. Oh, that bridge, where they had so many memories together. And he'd read to her, and she remembered being completely, perfectly happy. When the chapter was finished, he had looked directly into her eyes with that intent gaze that made it impossible for her to look away, pulled a box out of his pocket, and said the most beautiful words she'd ever heard. Then he asked her a question. A big question. Her response was immediate. She already knew the answer.

Lorelai was still looking at her expectantly, so she answered. "He said that he wanted to follow me and take me with him everywhere and anywhere, forever." The corner of Rory's mouth twitched slightly as she recited, try as she might to hold her panic face.

"And this suggests that he doesn't want to marry you?"

"Well, no. But -"

The phone rang, interrupting Rory's freakout once more.

"Hang on, sweets," Lorelai went to get the phone and Rory collapsed on the couch, the skirt of her wedding dress puffing up around her. "Hello?"

"Lorelai, can I talk to my bride?"

"You're not supposed to be calling!"

"Why not?"

"Well, because you're not supposed to see her yet, mister," Lorelai scolded.

"But I'm not going to see her, just talk to her."

"Well...I guess that's true."

"And there's no superstition nor tradition that says I can't talk to her."

"But...gah! You win." Lorelai took the phone from her ear and looked at Rory. "Prince Philip wants to talk to you."

"Who?" Rory asked, fighting her way through her skirt to stand up.

"It's your groom, Scarlet," Lorelai sing-songed in her best southern belle voice.

Rory grabbed the phone from her mother's hand. "Jess? Hi!"

She looked so relieved. It was cute. Lorelai watched her daughter walk into her old room and shut the door, and decided not to eavesdrop. She'd let the two alone for now.

"Are you excited?" Jess asked.

"Very," Rory answered.

Jess paused. He seemed to know exactly what was going on in Rory's head when he asked, "Nervous?"

"Very," Rory said again, relieved that Jess didn't mind.

"Yeah, me too."

"Really? Why?"

"I just keep thinking that you'll suddenly realize how not good enough for you I am and leave me at the altar."

"I'd never do that to you! I'm worried you'll back out because I'm too much work."

"Never too much work for me."

"Really?"

"Never."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

"Because I can be a real handful sometimes, just ask my mom."

"I think I can handle it."

"But what if -"

"Rory."

"Yeah?"

"I can't wait till we're married."

"Really?"

"Only a few more hours."

Rory smiled. "Yeah..."

"I'll let you finish getting ready."

"I'll bet you're not ready yet either!"

"I've been ready for two years."

Rory smiled even bigger.

"Bye, Jess."

"Bye, Rory."

Rory walked out of her room and put the phone in it's dock.

"So?" Lorelai asked.

"He wants to marry me."

"I told you, kid."

"I know."

Someone knocked on the door and Lorelai and Rory heard Sookie's voice. "Is the bride ready for her bridesmaids to come help her fix her hair and do her makeup and get all pretty for her man?"

Lorelai opened the door to Sookie, Lane, April and Paris, all holding dress bags and massive amounts of makeup and hair supplies.

"Come in, come in!" Lorelai beckoned excitedly. "Let's get this bride pretty-fied!"

Across town, Jess was messing with his tux in front of the bathroom mirror in Luke's old apartment..

"Let me help," Luke said, coming up behind him.

Jess dropped his hands and let Luke straighten him out. "It has to be perfect," he said.

"You keep saying that," Luke replied.

"But it does! She's perfect, so it has to be perfect."

"She loves you and will marry you whether or not your tux is perfect, or the flowers are perfect, or the food is perfect. Everything will be perfect, it's just that your marriage will not depend on it."

"But, Luke -"

"Shut up, calm down, you're gonna be fine."

Jess shut up, but he didn't calm down. Luke looked straight into his face.

"You're gonna be fine," he insisted.

Jess breathed deeply. "Okay."

An hour and a half later, everything was in place. The guests were seated, the bridesmaids were dressed and ready and insisted that the bride was too, Luke, Zack, Jackson, and his two friends and business praters from Truncheon stood behind Jess, who was standing at the front of the church, heart pounding and adrenaline rushing. The music started. Doula, Martha and Emma walked down the aisle, scattering petals on the ground. They were followed closely by Paris, Sookie, April and Lane. Then Lorelai entered, beaming from ear to ear. But best and most beautiful of all, came Rory. Jess caught his breath when he saw her. She was absolutely gorgeous in her white dress, gliding down the aisle on her father's arm. Any fears Jess had ever had about this wedding vanished with the sight of her. Somehow he knew that this was right. This was it. This was perfect.

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Teaser: _"You know what I mean. I miss my mom and Luke and the kids. And Lane. I want to see Steve and Kwan! See if they've learned how to say 'Rory' yet. They keep calling me 'Dory'. Do I look like a Dory to you?" _

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Let me know!


	3. Step on the Gas and Wipe That Tear Away

**A/N:** So, I'm stupid, and forgot to mention that "Emma" from the last chapter, was Sookie and Jackson's other daughter. Davey was the ringbearer, even if he wasn't mentioned either. Sorry if that confused you. Bad author! -slaps self- This chapter is short. It's a few weeks after the last chapter. Rory and Jess have been living in Jess's old apartment in Philadelphia, but they've been looking for a place in Stars Hollow. Steve and Kwan are three years old, that's why they still can't say Rory. Oh, and "the kids" that Rory refers to are Luke and Lorelai's two children.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I haven't aquired any ownership since the last chapter...**  
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"No."

"But it was cute!"

"I am not living in an apartment next door to Kirk. I lived in Stars Hollow long enough to know that being that close in proximity to Kirk is far from safe, or stable."

"But it was cheap."

"Because Kirk is hazardous!"

"We need to find a place," Rory whined. "I want to go home! Philadelphia is fine for a while, but I miss my support system."

"What, I'm not good enough for you?"

"You know what I mean. I miss my mom and Luke and the kids. And Lane. I want to see Steve and Kwan! See if they've learned how to say 'Rory' yet. They keep calling me 'Dory'. Do I look like a Dory to you?"

"I'm sorry we couldn't get a place earlier."

"That's okay, you know that's okay."

"Why is that okay?"

"Because you've agreed to live in Stars Hollow, and it doesn't matter to me if it takes a few weeks, you agreed. I love you for that, by the way."

"Yeah? I thought it was my wit, charm and good looks."

"Nope, it's because I get to live at home."

"Huh."

Rory grabbed for the legal pad, but Jess pulled it out of her reach.

"What about the one before the Kirk house?" Jess asked.

"Which one was that?"

"The one with the green walls."

"Ew, no, that one had mold."

"Where?"

"On the ceiling."

"Okay, no for the green walls. After the Kirk house?"

"That was the one with the cat, right?"

"Yeah."

"Too far away."

"It's in Stars Hollow! Nothing's far away!"

"But I couldn't walk to my mom's house. Or Luke's. I need Luke's to be within walking distance."

"Rory, the whole town is within walking distance."

"I don't walk that far."

"Okay, then."

Rory sighed, and reached for the legal pad again. Jess let her take it this time, and she scanned their notes, her head on his shoulder.

"What about this one?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Which one?"

Rory pointed.

"I forgot about that one. It had potential."

"It was cute."

"And close," Jess pointed out. Rory smiled.

"And clean, no mold."

"And it wasn't too big, or too small."

"And Kirk doesn't live near it."

"And it's within our price range."

Jess and Rory looked at each other. Rory held her breath, daring to believe they'd found a home at last.

"Looks like we have a winner."

Rory squealed with glee and threw her arms around Jess's neck. She was going home!

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**Teaser:** _That caught his attention. "You went to the doctor?" he asked, sitting up a little, concerned. "Are you sick? Did I know about this?"_

Review, please! I have the next few chapters planned out, but I need some new ideas. Help me?


	4. Beep Beep Yeah

**A/N:** Jess is still working for Truncheon in that he's a partial owner and he still works with some of the clients (he's also trying to get clients in Hartford), so he has to go to Philly occasionally for meetings and such, but the guys there have been having some issues with various things so he's been going down a lot for the past few weeks. They've been in their new apartment for a few weeks, which is why they still have boxes. Um...I think that's pretty much all I need to explain. I'm thinking of doing a sort of flashback to when Jess and Rory told Rory's grandparents they were getting married in a few chapters, what do you think about that? I kind of want to write the Elder Gilmores into this, because I think they'll be some fun.

I'm also going to shamelessly plug my other fic, _Masochist_, which is a Jess angst fic, becase it has but one review, which makes it sad. Please read it and review, I'll love you ever so much! I felt a little bad about the shameless fluff that is this story, so I wrote a completely angsty one, and I'd like to know what you all think. I'm also working on a crossover with Jess and one of my favorite crazies from another fandom, because I'm sick and twisted. I'll let you know about that when it comes.

Okay, freakishly long author's note over now.

**Disclaimer:** I own everything. Just kidding.

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Jess was exhausted. If he had to drive to Philadelphia one more time this week, he thought he might shoot someone. He really hoped Rory was in a calm and peaceful mood tonight and had already ordered dinner because he was starving and tired and there was no way he was going to be able to keep up with Bouncy Rory. Opening the door to their apartment, he noticed that there were significantly less boxes than when he'd left that morning. Rory must have done quite a bit of unpacking. The next thing he noticed was the couch. Oh that lovely, old, ratty, squishy, comfortable couch. He promptly collapsed on it and closed his eyes. Even without his eyes open, he knew when Rory came out of the bedroom. He felt a plop as she sat down next to him, and when he opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised to see Bouncy Rory smiling brightly at him. When she kissed him in greeting, her lips even felt excited.

"Hey, hon," he said sleepily.

"Hi," she replied, practically bouncing up and down. "How was your day?"

"Exhausting," Jess replied. "The guys up at Truncheon are complete idiots, they have no idea how to run the place without me."

"You love them both, and you know it."

"Yeah, well, not if I have to keep driving up there to do a job I told them I couldn't keep doing after I'd moved. I can't keep doing this, Rory."

"It'll be better soon," Rory reassured him, stroking his hair.

"I hope so." He reached for her to kiss her. She complied readily. Her lips were still over excited. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Rory said. Jess knew she had something she wanted to tell him, but she was beating around the bush a little. Jess wasn't in the mood to prompt, so he let her. "I went to work this morning, and I did some good writing, my story's gonna be great by the way, but I took the afternoon off so I could go to the doctor."

That caught his attention. "You went to the doctor?" he asked, sitting up a little, concerned. "Are you sick? Did I know about this?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Rory said, guiding him back down to his lounging position. "I just wanted to get something checked out. You didn't know. I'm fine, everything's fine."

"Good. So what did the doctor say?"

Rory smiled. Beamed, actually. Jess was far too tired to know why on earth she was grinning at him while talking about the doctor.

"Rory?"

"Yes, daddy?"

Jess froze. She didn't just say what he thought she said, did she? "Rory?"

"Daddy?"

"What?" Jess was standing now. He wasn't quite sure how that happened. Rory stood up too.

"We're gonna have a baby!" she came right out with it.

"Really?"

Rory nodded, grinning hugely. Suddenly she looked concerned. "Are you happy?"

Jess stared at her. A _baby_. Could he handle a baby? A baby. A baby? Him? He was a former smoker, a former alcoholic, a former hoodlum. He used to skip class and steal cigarettes from Doose's. Could he raise a baby without completely messing it up? A baby. That sounded kind of nice. My baby. _My_ baby. Jess smiled a little, still stunned. Rory was still looking at him.

"Of course I'm happy!"

He scooped her up and swung her around. Then he kissed her. Rory laughed. They were having a _baby!_

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**Teaser:** _"Do you know where Lorelai is?" Jess yelled as he ran through the door, almost bowling over a couple that was leaving. It was more of an accusation than a question._

Pretty review button feels unloved. Cheer it up?_  
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	5. I See It Needs Sweeping

**A/N:** The only thing I can think that I need to tell you is that in my mind, Jess and Rory's couch faces away from their door, which explains the sideways tongue thing at the end. If I've forgotten anything and you get confused, let me know!

Shamelessly plugging _Masochist_, my onseshot, again. It has 2 reviews now. It is very sad. Read and review? I thank you.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Titanic_ either. -shrug-

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Uh oh. The apartment was quiet.

Way too quiet.

This was not how it was supposed to be when Jess came home from work.

This meant that Rory was either sleeping, which was unlikely at this hour, crying in the bathroom, which was always hard to get her out of, or gone.

Jess checked the bedroom. No Rory. And the bathroom. No Rory. Then he spotted the note on the kitchen counter.

"_Jess,  
I'm going to the BWR with my mom.  
We need a movie night, and her house is too noisy with April and the kids,  
and we're both too fat to fit on our couch without breaking it,  
even if you keep saying I'm not __that__ fat yet.  
I'll be gone until 10ish.  
Having dinner with Mom.  
Why don't you go visit Luke?  
If you don't want to, takeout menus are in the first drawer on the right.  
Love you!  
Rory_"

"Oh no." If Rory and Lorelai were both at the Black White and Read movie theater, only one thing was inevitable.

Both would come out sobbing.

Two pregnant women should not be allowed to watch movies together. Rory had cried during Monty Python the week before, and Luke said that Lorelai wasn't any better.

Jess grabbed the phone and dived across the counter for the phone number drawer. After searching through it for a minute he found what he was looking for and dialed the numbers.

"Hello, Black White and Read movie theater."

"Kirk! What movie are you playing tonight?"

"Who is this?"

"Who do you think?"

"Oh...hi, Jess."

"Is my wife there?"

"Yes, Rory and Lorelai are on the big couch in the front. They've been enjoying themselves immensely."

"Are they crying?"

A pause, then a guilty answer. "Yes."

"What movie are you playing?"

"_Titanic_."

"No!"

"Sorry!" Kirk said immediately. He was still scared of Jess.

Jess pressed the end button on the phone and threw it on the couch, grabbed his keys, and bolted out the door. He was at Luke's within minutes.

"Do you know where Lorelai is?" Jess yelled as he ran through the door, almost bowling over a couple that was leaving. It was more of an accusation than a question.

"Good night, folks! Come again!" Luke called after the disgruntled couple before giving Jess the 'are you crazy?' look. "Jess, don't run over my customers, it's bad for business. Lorelai's watching a movie with Rory, didn't you know that?"

"Lorelai's watching _Titanic_ with Rory!"

"And that's...bad?"

"Luke, _Titanic_ has got to be the sappiest, saddest movie made in the past two decades."

"I'm sure someone would disagree with you. I might, if I had any idea what this movie was."

"It's about a boat that sinks and a guy that dies."

"That's not good," Luke said, coming out from behind the counter.

"You think?"

Jess ran out the door again, followed closely by Luke. They reached the BWR and walked in, shooting identical death glares at Kirk when he started to protest that they didn't have tickets. Kirk backed off immediately.

It wasn't hard to find Lorelai and Rory. As Kirk had said, they were sitting right up front, bawling. Glancing at the screen, Jess saw that the boat hadn't even sunk yet. He crossed the room in three steps and sat down next to Rory, cradling her with one arm. Luke followed suit on the other side of Lorelai.

"Rory, what's wrong?"

"It's just - _gasp_ - it's so - _sob _- sad..."

"Shh. It's okay, nothing's even happened yet."

"But it - _choke_ - will. And they can't - _sniff_ - be together. Ever. Because he'll die!" With that, she collapsed into ferocious tears on Jess's shoulder. Jess motioned to Luke, who was stroking a sobbing Lorelai's hair, that they should leave, and both husbands gently ushered their pregnant and crying wives out of the theater.

Jess waved to Luke as they parted ways a few blocks later. Luke would have waved back, but both arms were put to comforting Lorelai, so he just nodded. Rory and Lorelai didn't seem to notice that they were separating. Both were too busy mourning Jack's inevitable death.

Rory sobbed the entire walk home. Jess had her wrapped in his arms and was murmuring in her ear, but nothing doing. She was intent on the fact that Rose and Jack were perfect for each other and why oh why did he have to die like that? She blubbered incoherent words every few seconds and Jess replied with "I know, I know" every time.

When they got to their apartment, Jess unlocked the door with one hand while holding Rory with the other, then he guided her over the threshold, placed her gently on the couch, handed her one of the dozens of boxes of tissues they had in their four-room apartment, and hurried to the refridgerator. He found one of the always-ready tubs of ice cream easily located in the front of the freezer, and returned with the tub and a spoon, which he then handed to Rory. He settled in beside her and cradled her again while she ate ice cream and sobbed. When he could tell she was getting sleepy, he relocated her to the bed and went back in the living room to throw away the empty ice cream container. He then realized that he hadn't eaten dinner, but was too exhausted to do anything about it, so he followed his wife to bed.

The next morning, Rory wasn't in bed anymore when Jess got out of the shower. She was in the living room, perched on the couch, chatting cheerfully on the phone. When she saw Jess she grinned.

"Hang on, Mom," Rory said into the phone, then tilted it down, away from her mouth. "Good morning!" she said to Jess. "Kiss."

Jess obeyed. "Morning. Hi, Lorelai."

Rory tilted the phone back up. "Jess says hi." And back down again. "Mom says hi."

Jess smiled and made his way into the kitchen to find food.

"Last night, Jess said I can't watch any more movies until I give birth. Luke said that too? I can't see why. We weren't even _that_ emotional. Right, that's exactly what I'm saying! Jess and Luke are such wimps." She tilted the phone down again. "Jess, honey, you can't eat leftover Chinese food for breakfast."

"Watch me," Jess replied, smirking as he dug into the containers.

"I know!" Rory said into the phone. "I don't know what he's doing, or why he can't eat pop tarts like a normal person. Oh no, hold on." Rory tilted the phone back down. "Jess, did you eat dinner last night?"

Jess shook his head, mouth full.

"You poor thing!" Rory exclaimed. "Eat all the Chinese food you want." She tilted the phone up again, distressed. "He must've been taking care of me! Oh, maybe I was really emotional. Oh no, there are tissues all over the floor." She gasped. "I remember! I was crying for hours! And Jess held me the entire time and gave me ice cream and didn't eat anything! Hold on." Rory dropped the phone onto the couch, pushed herself up, and rushed over to Jess, waddling slightly. When she reached him, she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you for being the best husband in the world and taking care of me even though I'm crazy and emotional and I'm on my way to looking like a large bowling ball."

Jess smiled. "You're not that bad."

Rory kissed him sweetly, then semi-waddled back to the couch, plopped down, and picked up the phone again. "Mom? Did you thank Luke too? Aren't they the best?" Rory grinned at Jess.

Jess glanced at the clock and saw it was time for him to leave, so he tossed his fork into the sink, stuffed the Chinese food containers back in the fridge, and picked up his messenger bag. He walked over to his wife, kissed Baby, kissed Rory, waved at the phone, then headed out the door while Rory said into the phone, "Jess says bye. Mom says bye!" she called over her shoulder to Jess.

"No movies!" Jess called back.

Rory stuck her tongue out sideways at him, then settled back into the couch as Jess left for work.

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**Teaser: **_"You have your fight face on," Matt explained, "I don't want you taking out any small children on your way to the park."_  
Button feels lonely. Push it! 


	6. Fussing and Fighting

**A/N:** I really can't think of anything that might need explaining. Let me know if I missed anything that confuses you. Oh, and they referance a lot in this chapter.

The next chapter is going to be a flashback sort of thing, and the elder Gilmores will make an appearance. :

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything they referance either.

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"God, Jess, what's your problem?"

"Well, gee, Rory, I don't know."

"Why do you always do that? Why can't you just _tell _me what's wrong with you? Why do you always make me guess? That's not fair!"

"Well, too bad, Rory, I guess if you don't like the way I am, then maybe you shouldn't have married me."

"You know what? Fine. You're being impossible. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Fine."

Rory pressed the end button of the phone and threw it into the couch so hard it bounced right back off and ricocheted off the coffee table, landing on the floor. She stormed into the bedroom, brushing tears out of her eyes. She _hated_ fighting with Jess. He was unbelievable. She sat down on the bed with a huff and placed a hand on her stomach. The baby moved.

Jess rolled his eyes and marched downstairs to the store, enraged. He absolutely could not believe her. She refused to listen, then when he stopped trying to get her to listen to him, she yelled at him for not talking. The woman was certifiable, and he was certifiable for marrying her.

Chris looked up from his crossword puzzle good-naturedly. "Hey, dude, how's the wife and baby?"

"Shut up," Jess snapped, shrugging on his coat and grabbing his keys from a nearby table.

Matt frowned up at him from the books he was stacking, concerned. "What happened, man?" he asked.

"Nothing," Jess answered shortly, heading for the door.

Matt, ever the speedy one, scuttled quickly over to the door and blocked Jess's exit.

"Get out of the way," Jess barked. Matt refused. "What?" Jess yelled, backing away slightly out of aggravation.

"You have your fight face on," Matt explained, "I don't want you taking out any small children on your way to the park."

"You're being an idiot."

"I'm always an idiot, man. You're usually not. Therefore when you are an idiot, it's a little out of character and I get concerned."

"What are you rambling about?"

"Dude, you just complimented him," Chris pointed out to Matt, jabbing his ballpoint pen for emphasis.

"It was a compli-diss," Matt corrected as Jess shot Chris a death glare that promptly silenced any future interruption from him.

"Jeez, Matt, what are you _doing?_"

"Stopping you from bowling over little old ladies on the sidewalk."

"God! Can't you be serious for just one second?"

"Okay, sure, why not?" Matt looked very seriously at his friend. "Jess..."

"What?" Jess snapped at him.

Matt rolled his eyes. "What happened, man? Did you and Rory get in a fight? You're acting all moody and angsty like you were right after she came to our open house before you two got together, remember? Why has Rory's Hurt Me Jess come back?"

Jess stared at Matt like he was some sort of alien being from space with a large welt for a head. " _'Rory's Hurt Me Jess'???_"

Matt nodded. "Come on man, spill."

Jess sighed irritatedly.

&.&.&

Rory marched out of the bedroom, snatched the phone off the floor and landed on the couch with a huff, dialing.

"Hello?"

"Mom!"

"Rory, are you okay? You sound sniffily."

"Jess and I had a fight," Rory sniffed, "and he's in Philadelphia and I'm here all alone and I'm mad at him because he's an idiot and I really want him to come home, but I can't tell him that because I'm mad at him."

"Did he go to the clam bake without you again?"

"Mom! Serious Face, please."

"Sorry. Serious Face on. What did Jess do?"

"He's being a jerk. He called to talk and we were talking about the baby and he said that if it's a girl he wants to name her Brett like a character in _The Sun Also Rises_, but Brett is a boy's name, and there is no way I'm naming my child after a Hemingway character with a boy's name if it's a girl, and then all hell broke loose and it ended with a couple of 'Fine!'s."

"Aw, honey, did you tell him you wanted to name her Ayn?"

"No!" Rory scoffed. "It was Dominique."

Lorelai laughed softly. "Sweetheart, you can't get mad at him for wanting to name your daughter after a Hemingway character and then turn around and try to name her after a Rand character."

"Why not?"

"Sweets –"

"And I wasn't mad at him about that, that was just how it started. He went all closed and moody like he used to do when we were seventeen."

"Ah yes, the days when he was channeling James Dean."

"And he just closed off to me and he wouldn't talk."

"Well, honey –"

"It's like he doesn't care that when he does that it hurts _me_, he just goes ahead and hides behind those old walls again."

"Babe –"

"I mean, I don't know what to do, if he won't open up and talk to me, I don't know how we can raise a child."

"Rory!"

"Yeah?"

"Firstborn, best friend, reason for my very existence, I love you with everything I have, but you are in the wrong here."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Probably, but I'm also right."

Rory pouty glowered.

"Sweets," Lorelai continued gently, "You're cranky. You're pregnant. You're hormonal. I am too, it's part of growing a person inside yourself. But you've got to give Jess a little slack. He's been a white knight to you your entire pregnancy. You have no idea how good you've got it. My first baby, all I had was a boyfriend who was completely weirded out at the idea that you were going to come out of me, and a couple of parents who looked at me like I was Meg Foster every time I was nearby."

"Meg Foster? Oh, as in Hester Prynne?"

"That's the one."

"I always preferred the Demi Moore and Gary Oldman version."

"Weirdo."

"It was more my time."

Lorelai gasped. "Mean! I am not old!"

"Of course not."

"Anyway, back to Mr. Jericho –"

"Jericho?"

"The walls? Wow, you're really slow tonight."

"I'm sorry, I'm distracted. I just had a fight with my husband."

"Well mine is looking at me like I'm Andre Delambre."

"Okay, that one I got."

"My point is that Jess has been your Prince Charming for months, and you've gotten used to that, but it's got to have been tough for him. You're a handful, missy, even when you're not pregnant, and arguing like you is like arguing with the Pope, you're just not going to win. However, recently arguing with you has been like arguing with Henry VIII and if you keep at it too long you might loose your head."

"Jess argues with me all the time."

"That's because Jess is like the king, and when the king and the Pope argue, it's a toss up which is going to win. It's that whole church and state thing."

"You do too."

"Well, I'm the Pope's mother, and she wins by default."

"Mom."

"You're moody, babe. Jess can only handle so much before he retreats. You can't cut off your husband's head."

Rory frowned. "What?"

"What, I'm pregnant too. Simple terms: call Jess. Tell him you're sorry. Pick the baby's name when you're both happy and in the same city and be patient with him when he gets wall-y. I mean they are part of him. The walls."

"Yeah, I got that too," Rory said resignedly.

"Call him, babe."

"Okay. Bye, Mom."

"Bye, love."

Rory hung up the phone and sighed.

&.&.&

"You fought over the baby's name?" Matt looked at him like he was insane.

"It wasn't that, it was how she talked to me. She didn't even let me get a word in before she cut me off. Then she got mad at me for not saying anything! She's been getting mad about everything lately. The woman should be in a padded cell!"

"She's got a human being inside her stomach," Matt deadpaned. "That's got to make her a little cranky."

Jess shot him a death glare. Matt didn't back down.

Jess sighed. "I just – there's only so far you can bend, okay?"

Matt nodded. "I get it, man," he said. Chris glanced up from his crossword. Matt peered at Jess.

"What?" Jess asked impatiently.

"She's still your wife," Matt said, crossing his arms. "I mean, she's crazy and her moods are swinging wilder than a kid at a playground and she's making you jump through hoops to keep her happy, but she's still your wife. She's still the woman you pined after for years. She's still the person that makes you wake up in the morning, makes you keep fighting to be a better person, makes you live and breathe."

Jess stared at Matt with a mixture of confusion and what appeared to be disgust.

"I watch you, man," Matt said. "I used to live with you when you lived upstairs. I _know_ you. I know what you're like when you're happy or angry or hurt. I knew you when you were a punk with a manuscript, and I know you now that you're a big whoop-de-doo who goes to writers' parties in New York and rubs elbows with Dan Brown and God knows who else. I _know_ you."

"And?" Jess prompted, interested in where the hell Matt was going with this.

"So, there's only so far you can bend, sure, I get it. But man, I know you, and I know you can keep bending. You're a two-by-four when it comes to this place – which makes for good business by the way, you've gotten us countless deals Chris and I wouldn't have even dreamed of – but you're a contortionist when it comes to that girl. I've watched you bend and twist until you looked like a twist-tie for her. You love her. You do it for her. Just – keep on keeping on until she pops. You'll have Sane Rory back once the baby's out of her."

"You quoted a Yoko Ono song at me," Jess said with disgust.

" 'Keep on keeping on' is not _only_ from a Yoko Ono song," Matt replied defensively.

"And there ain't no people on old dirt road."

"Did you even listen to anything else I said?"

"God, now all I can think of is Yoko Ono telling me to call my wife."

Jess shuddered. Matt rolled his eyes.

"Forget Yoko! Matt's telling you to call your wife too!"

"Chris agrees," Chris piped up. Jess glared at him again and he cowered behind his crossword.

Just as Matt picked up the phone, it rang. He checked the caller ID then held it out to Jess.

"Guess who?"

&.&.&

"You're sure we're okay?"

"Like Nick and Nora."

"And you're not mad at me about the Rand thing?"

"As long as you're not mad at me about the Hemingway thing."

"Or about the crazy and mean thing?"

"Hey, you're the one with a human being inside yourself."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"And you'll be home soon?"

"Now, if I could teleport."

"Can you try?"

"I'll get right on it."

Rory smiled. So did Jess.

In the other room, Matt grimaced. "They're being gross and mushy," he complained.

"Hey, dude, you got them talking again," Chris pointed out.

"I know, but I didn't want them to talk mushy."

"They're married and in love."

"I know."

Chris went back to his unending crossword and Matt listened in on a few more minutes of Jess's side of the conversation. After a limited number of moments he made a face again.

"Blech!"

Chris snorted.

* * *

**Teaser:** _Despite the smile, Jess thought she looked a little murderous. Or maybe it was because of it._

So...thoughts?


	7. Like Elvis And His Mom

**A/N:** I find such joy in writing the Elder Gilmores. This chapter is a bit of a flashback. How did Rory and Jess break the news of their engagement to Richard and Emily? And how did the elder generation take it? Did Jess survive the encounter? Read to find out!

**Disclaimer:** If I did, this would've happened.

**

* * *

**

"Are you sure you're ready?" Rory asked, very concerned.

"Yeah, Richard and Emily can be pretty brutal," Lorelai agreed.

Jess sighed. "I'm about as ready as I'll ever be," he said as though he was about to be marched off to the gallows. Lorelai placed a supportive hand on his shoulder and Rory laced her fingers with his and rang the doorbell with her other hand.

That bell sounded like his death warrant.

And unfamiliar maid answered the door, took their coats and informed them that the Gilmores were in the living room. Lorelai led the way and Jess and Rory kept a tight hold of each other as they followed.

"Hi, Mom," Lorelai said brightly. "Hi, Dad."

"Well hello, Lorelai," Richard answered as Emily looked up from her book. "Rory! So nice to see you! And this must be Jess." He held out a hand and Jess shook it, his stomach still twisted around with nerves.

By this time, Emily had stood and circled around the furniture to Rory and Jess. "Hello, hello," she said, smiling at both of them. Despite the smile, Jess thought she looked a little murderous. Or maybe it was because of it. The last time they'd met had not gone so well. At least this time he didn't have a black eye.

They got through drinks without much problem. Rory had consistent physical contact with Jess, whether she was holding his hand, touching his shoulder, or resting her hand on his leg. This was an extreme comfort to him, especially when Emily pseudo-lightheartedly mentioned his black eye from the last time, and when Richard brought up the fact that they hadn't seen him for years, even though he'd been in Rory's life for the last two. Lorelai was a big help when it came to subject changes. When Emily asked Jess where he'd been in-between now and the last time he was with Rory, Lorelai jumped in with a comment about spoons, which drove Emily into a rant about how Lorelai was always changing the subject when she was trying to ask questions and there were such things as segues and maybe Lorelai should learn how to use them, and by the time Lorelai had stopped answering smartly in return, she had forgotten her original question.

Finally, Richard said, "I suppose we should go into the dining room now, dinner should be just about ready, don't you think, Emily?"

"Actually," Rory said quickly, "I wonder if we could wait just one more minute? Jess and I have some exciting news."

Emily and Richard looked at her apprehensively, and Lorelai visibly brightened to show her support, and perhaps because she was almost as nervous as her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law.

"Yes, Rory?" Emily asked, tensely.

"What's your news?" Richard added.

Rory took a deep breath and smiled. "Well," she began, "the other night, Jess asked me to marry him." It looked to Jess like Emily and Richard had stopped breathing. "And I said yes!" Rory finished, beaming. When no one said anything, she added, "We're getting married!" Just in case she needed to clarify.

"Isn't that great, Mom?" Lorelai prompted. "Dad?"

"Yes," Richard sputtered, slightly shocked. "Yes, that's wonderful."

Emily just gaped.

---

Dinner was adventuresome. Emily was completely silent and terse and a little pouty, while Richard asked Jess so many questions, Jess thought his head might actually be spinning.

"So, my boy, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a writer, and partial-owner of a bookstore in Philadelphia. We also publish some, or find other publishers for our clients if we can't publish them ourselves."

"Philadelphia?"

"Yes, sir."

"I've been there on business a few times. Nice city. Do you live there?"

"Yes, sir, I have an apartment above the store."

"Will you and Rory live there when you're...married?"

"We're not sure where we're going to live yet, actually."

"But you work at this bookstore. Surely you'll need to live near it?"

"Actually, as long as I'm within driving distance, it doesn't have to matter exactly where I live. I can cut down my actual work in the store, and I can meet with clients over the phone. Wherever we end up, I can get an office and bring more writers into our business from another city. We can expand. I'd just need to be able to make it to meetings every few weeks."

"So you're saying you could live here?"

"We could," Rory answered, giving Jess a break, "but we haven't decided where we're going to live yet." She and Jess locked eyes and she smiled a little. Their place of residence was a frequent debate topic for them.

"Where did you go to college, son?" Richard interrogated.

"Oh," said Jess, caught off guard a little, "um...I didn't, actually, sir."

Richard raised his eyebrows as Emily looked up from her food.

"You didn't go to college?" Emily asked sternly.

"No," Jess answered. Rory could sense him retreating behind his monosyllabic walls, and grabbed his hand under the table.

"Jess had a pretty hard life for a while, Grandma," Rory said politely. "He had a lot of problems he needed to overcome and a lot of obstacles in his life, but he got through it all and he's a better, stronger person because of it. He really cleaned up his life, and he did it by himself." She smiled sweetly at him as she added, "I'm proud of him."

"But, Rory," Richard argued, "college is -"

"Jess has two published novels," Rory interrupted firmly. "He's co-owner of his very own bookstore which sells books and music and art and they have poets in there all the time. He's amazingly intelligent and talented and his book collection is actually bigger than mine. And I love him, so screw college."

Richard and Emily stared at Rory, shocked at her sentiments, and the words she'd chosen to portray them. Lorelai beamed in pride at her daughter. Jess squeezed her hand in gratitude under the table and resisted the urge to kiss her shoulder. Somehow he thought that wouldn't go over well with her grandparents.

---

Lorelai blinked. "Wow," she said.

Rory exhaled. "Wow," she agreed.

Jess stared at the door that had closed behind them.

"Well," Lorelai said, "I thought that went pretty well."

Jess and Rory turned to stare at her.

"What?" Lorelai asked defensively. "At least they didn't disown anyone or throw things at Jess's head."

"I yelled at them," Rory said guiltily. "I haven't done that for a long time."

"They deserved it," Lorelai reassured her. "They were being unreasonable and impossible and I was proud of you."

"Yeah, I guess," Rory sighed.

"I _know_," Lorelai said firmly. "I have to go home, sweets. Luke left me about four messages saying the kids are getting out of hand and he still feels really sick. You'll be home soon?"

"Sure," Rory said, looking at Jess who nodded. "Yeah, we'll be back soon."

"Okay. Love you." Lorelai kissed Rory on the head, then clapped Jess on the shoulder. "You did good," she said. "They don't like you yet, but I have hope. They hated Luke at the beginning, so don't feel bad."

"They still don't like Luke," Jess protested.

"No, but they're getting very close," Lorelai said as she got in her car. "See you back home," she called to them both and then drove away.

Rory immediately turned to Jess. "Was that okay?" she asked nervously. "Yelling at them for you? Did I embarrass you? Did I make you feel less manly? Did -"

Jess cut her off by capturing her lips with his. She pulled away after only a moment.

"Was that okay?" she insisted.

"Thank you," he murmured softly in her ear.

"Are you sure?" She was very concerned about this. He had some convincing to do.

"Your grandparents are crazy," he whispered, glancing at the door again. "You kind of did what you were supposed to do and didn't leave me to fend for myself with them. After all they are _your_ grandparents."

"But I didn't make you feel like I was fighting your battles, did I?"

He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. When she didn't speak up again, he wrapped his arms around her waist, closing the distance between them, and engaged her in a very serious, very deep kiss.

She gasped for air. "We should go," she panted.

"Why?" he moaned, tracing his lips down her neck.

"My grandparents are still inside."

"So?" His mouth was now dancing in circles around her collar bone.

"What if they look out the window?"

"We're getting married soon."

"But I don't want them to sick the maid on us."

"I could take her."

"Jess."

"Rory."

"We have to go."

"I don't want to," he started kissing the crevice right behind her earlobe.

She sighed. "Me neither."

"So let's not."

"My mom's waiting."

It was the argument that always stopped them. He looked up into her eyes and nodded resignedly. Then he gave her earlobe a soft bite before pulling away from her and opening her car door.

---

"Mom!" Rory called softly as they entered the house. "Mom, we're home!"

Lorelai appeared from the kitchen. "The kids are asleep in the nursery upstairs, and your old room is all set up for you two," she said. "Luke is in the living room if you want to say hello."

Jess immediately headed for the living room and Rory followed. Rory, however, reached Luke first. He was slumped on the couch with a movie playing softly on the television.

"Hi, Luke," said Rory, giving him a quick hug.

"Rory," said Luke huskily, "Jess. I'm so glad you're staying the weekend."

"Us too," said Rory as Jess smirked a little. She turned to Jess. "I'm going to go put our stuff in the room, okay?"

"Sure," said Jess as she took his bag from him and exited the room. Jess looked down at his uncle. "What the hell were you thinking?" he asked softly.

"What?" Luke said defensively.

"You left me alone with those nut cases!"

"I'm sick!"

"They nearly had me arrested when we told them. I'm surprised they didn't send out for a hit man before desert."

"It wasn't that bad."

"You weren't there. You should have been, but you weren't."

"I'm sick!"

"Sure you are."

Luke tried to respond but was derailed by a coughing fit. When it had passed, Jess smirked.

"Good timing."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"I'm tired of you," Luke told him. "Go find your girlfriend."

"Fiancé," Jess corrected.

"Yeah, whatever."

Jess started to walk away, but Luke reached up and stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"I'm really glad you're back," he said sincerely.

"Me too," Jess admitted, smirking at the familiar banter. "I missed this."

"What?"

"Nothing," Jess said defensively. Then he caved. "You, I guess. Even though you're an idiot."

"We're like Batman and Robin."

"I draw the line at tights."

"Ah, Jess, you can't! Your step dad would disapprove."

"Let go of me, blasphemer!"

Luke laughed.

"Good to have you home."

"Yeah, yeah, now let me find my fiancé before this turns into a serious _It's a Wonderful Life_ moment."

"We'd have to have Henry Travers in the corner for that to happen."

Jess smirked at his uncle who smiled back, then left to find Rory. They had some unfinished business from the driveway to attend to.

* * *

**Teaser:** _Luke stared at Jess oddly. "You have a very imaginative mind," he remarked._

Review, please!


	8. The Beast Won't Go To Sleep

A/N: Ohh, I am so so so sorry about that wait! If you happened to read my profile, you already know about my computer issues, and of course as soon as that's fixed, school goes crazy, and then of course as soon as that's over, I get a sinus infection, and the world keeps spinning. This one's a little short, but the next chapter is completely written and ready for editing, and the chapter after that is about half-way done, and I promise the next one will be posted within a few days. If not, I give you full permission to kick me. I'll deserve it.

(Also, for some reason, isn't letting me do bold and italics. Strange and a little annoying, but as is life.)

Disclaimer: Nope. Still nothing.

* * *

"No, I'm sure, it's fine," Jess called to her, searching for his keys. 

"Are you really really sure?" Rory asked again from the bedroom.

"Absolutely," Jess replied, locating his keys under a huge stack of mail that almost took him out as it tried to fall on him.

"But it's not too much trouble?"

"I'll just walk over to Doose's."

"Isn't Doose's closed?"

"I'll hunt down Taylor."

"Don't hurt him!"

"Maybe I'll just go over to Luke's."

"But it's winter."

"Does Jackson still have that greenhouse?"

"Yes."

"Then we're fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure you're sure?"

"Rory."

"Thank you," she smiled.

He shrugged on his coat and waved to her before walking out the door and making a beeline for Luke's. Even though making a beeline for Luke's included strolling right through four different backyards, including Taylor's. But that didn't really matter. He had every intention of breaking into the diner, but instead found it unlocked with a few lights on.

"Luke?" he called as he entered.

"Jess?" Luke called back from the kitchen. He appeared a moment later and Jess smirked at him. "It's four in the morning, what are you doing here?"

"My wife's pregnant," Jess replied simply. "What are you doing here?"

"My wife's pregnant," Luke parroted.

"What's she craving?" Jess asked, craning to see what Luke had been cooking.

"You don't want to know."

"Apparently not." He'd caught sight of it, whatever it was. "Pregnant women are crazy."

"Shh!" Luke admonished. "And...yeah."

"Do you have strawberries?"

"Cases and cases."

"Great. Where?"

"Storage room."

Jess started toward the old storage room. "Can you throw another burger on?" he called over his shoulder. "Not at weird as Lorelai's, though. Rory wants a normal one."

Luke nodded absently and then Jess entered the storage room and lost sight of him. He searched around for the strawberries and found them stacked near the door. Luke hadn't been exaggerating about the quantity.

"Luke -?"

"Just take a case of them!"

"Thank you!"

Jess hefted a case onto his shoulder, then looked around again.

"Hey, Luke?" he began as he walked back into the diner and dropped the strawberries onto the counter. "Do you have any Twizlers?"

"Yeah, but they're hidden," was the reply.

Jess stopped in his tracks and stared at his uncle. "Why?"

"Because they don't get along with the Sour Punch Straws."

"Well of course not," Jess deadpanned.

"Jess."

"They're basically the same thing only Sour Punch Straws have all those sour crystals all over them."

"Jess," Luke began, annoyed.

"They make the Twizlers feel jealous."

"Jess!"

"Yes, Uncle Luke?" he asked innocently.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't that what Lorelai's been saying?"

"Well...yeah. But how do you know that?"

"I'm married to her daughter."

"Oh, right, of course."

"Rory got very upset last week because her cravings switched from Skittles to M&Ms and she was worried the Skittles felt left out."

"Jeez," said Luke sympathetically. "Now you have to hide them from her?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I took care of it."

"How?"

Jess smirked at Luke. "A little desperate?"

Luke sighed irritatedly. "A little."

"What's Lorelai saying?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Apparently the Twizlers and the Sour Punch Straws can never see each other, because if they do the world will implode."

Jess laughed a little and rubbed his face.

"It's not funny," Luke quipped.

"Sure it is," Jess allowed. "Listen, tell her...tell her that the Twizlers are the Jets, and the Sour Punch Straws are the Sharks."

"The whats and the whos?"

Jess stared at his uncle incredulously. "West Side Story?" he prompted. Luke stared at him blankly. "You're married to Lorelai Gilmore and you've never seen West Side Story?" Luke shook his head. Jess was appalled. "Rory and I watch it monthly! We can't go more than a few weeks without making it into a movie night again."

"Well, just tell me what it's about so I can get Lorelai to calm down," Luke said impatiently. "She's freaked out that Rory will come in with Twizlers while she's eating Sour Punch Straws and they'll never be able to speak to each other again."

Jess shook his head. "Okay, just listen closely. The Twizlers are the Jets, the Sour Punch Straws are the Sharks. Tell her that they've made peace like at the end of the movie. If she starts crying and blubbering about Tony or Maria or Chino, tell her that Tony didn't really die. Maria just thought he did when Chino shot him. But then, one of the Sharks noticed him moving so they rushed him to a hospital and the doctors saved his life. Now everyone's happy and alive, and not fighting anymore." Jess breathed, then remembered. "Oh, and if she asks about Bernardo, he came back to life."

"How?" asked Luke.

"I don't know, make something up."

"Like what?"

"Like - " Jess was starting to run out of ideas. "Like, the tooth fairy came and brought him back to life."

Luke stared at Jess oddly. "You have a very imaginative mind," he remarked.

"I am a writer," Jess replied.

Luke blinked. "The Twizlers are somewhere in there. Behind the relish, I think."

Jess disappeared into the store room again, and Luke frowned thoughtfully. When Jess reappeared, Luke asked him, "How did you come up with this?"

"What?" Jess asked, dropping the package of Twizlers on top of the strawberries. "The West Side Story thing?"

"No - well, yes. The whole thing. How did you think to start telling Rory these stories?"

"I just...know her really well."

"But I know Lorelai really well," Luke argued, "And I wouldn't - "

"It's about...thinking like them," Jess explained. "The Gilmore Girls want...security. And happiness. They want everything to have a home and a purpose and a family. They look at everything like it has feelings, even if it doesn't move or breathe. They need stories. They need you to tell them everything's alright, or is going to be alright, even if you don't know that it is. It's just them. Think like them and you'll learn a lot about them."

"Or you'll go crazy," Luke deadpanned.

"Always possible," Jess allowed. "Where's my burger?"

Luke rolled his eyes and went to retrieve it. After wrapping up a to-go box for Jess, he nodded at his nephew. "Thanks for the story. Good luck with your wife."

"And yours," Jess said, adding the box to the case of strawberries and nodding before leaving the diner.

Luke smiled at the younger man's retreating form and sighed quietly when the phone rang. Again.

"Yes, Lorelai?" he asked, putting the phone to his ear. "What else do you want?"

* * *

Preview: His eyes fell on a tiny clutch, and for a moment he refused to believe it was hers until she placed her hand on it and stammered. 

Review? Pretty please?


	9. Just Like Glass

A/N: See? I'm good! Only a few days this time! Okay, so this is another flashback chapter, because I'm having a lot of fun filling in blanks and such. Let me know if you like these flashbacks and if I should continue to show you what went on in between the finale and this story. Anyway, this is four or five months post-finale, which, in the COYH-world means about a month or two before Jess and Rory start dating...again. Luke and Lorelai are married, because I married them off quick after the finale (4 months...I've seen faster-planned weddings). This is their first encounter since that night when Rory went to see Jess in Philadelphia, so it's been a while since either has seen each other, and there may be some resentment between them.

Disclaimer: If I didn't own them in any other chapters, chances are slim that I'd own them now.

* * *

Jess wandered into Luke's and rolled his eyes as the room went silent. Every face was turned toward him, every freakshow in the diner staring at him. He glared back at all of them. Luke walked out of the kitchen and saw him.

"Jess!" he called in greeting. Jess walked over to him. "Thanks for coming to help out, it really..." he trailed off, looking around at his customers. "Hey!" Luke shouted in outrage. "What are you all looking at? If you want something to stare at, go the zoo, or the circus, or something. This is a diner, not the aquarium!"

The hubbub resumed.

Jess smirked. "You were saying?"

"Oh yeah," Luke said, turning his attention back to his nephew. "It really means a lot that you'd come help out."

"Hey, I'm just paying you back," Jess said, shrugging. "Slowly but surely."

"You don't have to – "

"I know. I want to."

"Well, I appreciate it. With Lane and Zack on vacation, and Ceasar gone 'cause his mom's sick, I could really use the extra help."

"It's no problem," Jess muttered, shrugging his denim jacket off. He was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, still used to being the screw up, things like gratitude were foreign to him and he didn't really know what to do with them. "Can I dump my stuff upstairs before I help you close up?"

"Absolutely, go ahead," Luke said, clapping him on the shoulder before heading back into the kitchen.

Jess went into the apartment and stood in the doorway staring around at it. It hadn't changed. Not at all. His old bed, even, was made up with the same sheets and comforter he'd used when he was seventeen. He hoped to God that Luke had washed them in-between then and now. He noted that there was a television in front of Luke's bed that hadn't been there before, but other than that, it was like stepping into his past, which wasn't altogether a happy experience for him. The only things missing were a pair of shockingly blue eyes and a cafiene craze.

After dumping his bag, he hurried down to the diner, eager to rid his thoughts of her.

---

This wasn't unlike his past, either, Jess mused as he turned a page. Luke was gone, off to see Lorelai, and he was supposed to be wiping down counters. Instead, he had merely turned the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed', and was now leaning on the counter, face in book. Again, sans the killer eyes that, if he was seventeen, should be staring at him, willing him to put the book down and talk to their keeper.

The bell above the door chimed.

"We're closed," Jess said automatically, not glancing away from his book. "What, you never learn to read? Or do you just fail at observation?"

"Actually," said a chillingly familier voice as Jess froze, "so far I've done pretty well at both."

The book dropped, and there were the eyes. Suddenly, he was seventeen again.

"I just need coffee," she continued amiably, but approached the counter with hesitation. "I have pull with the owner, because he's dating my mother."

Jess grabbed a cup and poured her some life, trying to regroup his mind and remember how to speak.

"Hey," he said finally, after her cup was full.

She shallowed and smiled. "Hey."

An awkward silence followed as both tried to think of something not-awkward to say.

"So," began Rory, spotting the book he'd dropped on the counter. "'_Into the Wild'_?"

"It's exciting," Jess said.

"It's depressing," Rory retorted. "He dies, alone and cold, of starvation. He could've had so much more."

"He didn't want that," Jess argued. "He wanted adventure, he wanted to see things, do things. He didn't want to live like he was told. He died trying to do his own thing. It makes sense."

"He could've done something with his life," Rory sighed.

"He did," Jess countered.

"He was rebellious and confused," Rory stated.

"So are some of the rest of us," Jess retorted sharply. So much for keeping it comfortable.

Rory stopped short. "I didn't mean you," she explained. Then she dropped her voice and muttered into her cup, "Or me."

Jess blinked. "So what book do you have?" he asked, looking for her purse, which usually contained a book. His eyes fell on a tiny clutch, and for a moment he refused to believe it was hers until she placed her hand on it and stammered.

"Oh, uh...actually, I don't really carry books around anymore."

It was all Jess could do not to gape openly at her. Rory wasn't the Rory he knew without the constant companionship of some form of book. She saw his expression tighten ever so slightly and knew that he disapproved. Somehow, this made her spill even more disgracing secrets.

"I stole a boat," she blurted. "And I dropped out of school, and I turned down the proposal of a great guy." Jess blinked at her again. "And I slept with a married guy," she added as an afterthought.

"Why?" Jess asked simply, apalled that Rory – perfectionist, book-obsessed, perfect Rory – would do any of that.

Rory stared at him helplessly. "I don't know," she whispered. Then, suddenly, she was on her feet and halfway out the door. "I have to go," she gasped, struggling with the doorknob. Then she was gone.

Jess ran a hand through his hair. He might be seventeen again, but she'd become another person altogether. This was wrong.

---

Fifteen minutes later, the book still lay on the counter where he'd dropped it, and Jess was still standing stationary where she'd left him. His hands were in his hair and he was trying to untangle the mess of thoughts in his head. Then his phone rang.

"What?" he snapped into the phone.

"How's that for greeting your friend and business partner?"

"Chris?"

"Yes, indeed, dude."

"Look, I'm kind of busy right now."

"You sound angsty."

"I'm not angsty."

"Well, you sound angsty."

"I'm not angsty."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Silence.

"I'm disappointed." Crap, he'd admitted something personal to Chris.

"Why?"

Jess paused and shifted uncomfortably.

"Why?" Chris prompted again.

"Rory. She's...not Rory."

"Oh." In that one syllable, Jess heard Chris's tone change from normal Chris-like tones to serious ones. "Who is she?"

Jess shifted again and sighed. "I don't know."

Chris paused. "Well, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Jess repeated.

Chris made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. "Are you going to talk to her?"

"Why would I?" Jess asked scornfully.

"Well," Chris began, as though explaining something to a very simple three year old, "because you two were friends. Maybe she needs someone to snap her back into reality."

Jess was silent.

"Just call me when you're coming home, man," Chris said, sighing. "And I suggest you talk to her. You'll kick yourself for it if you don't."

"Why did you call?" asked Jess before Chris could hang up.

"Just business, dude, it doesn't matter. Get some sleep."

And then Chris hung up the phone. Jess sighed and followed Chris's instruction by heading up to the apartment for bed.

---

A very sharp knock on the wall woke him up.

"What the hell?" Jess cried groggily, pushing through the tangle of blankets over him to reveal the thing that made the noise. The thing that would soon be dead.

It was Luke. "Did you close up at all last night?" he demanded.

"I turned the sign over," Jess replied, rolling over again. Luke promptly removed the sheets from his bed. "Hey!"

"Nothing was wiped down," he said, "the chairs were still in place, there was a book on the counter and the door was unlocked! What the hell were you doing last night?"

"Nothing," Jess muttered. "I got distracted."

"Distracted? By what?" Luke demanded.

"Rory," Jess shouted.

Luke stared down at him, then turned and marched toward across the room. When he was halfway out the door, he turned. "Next time, lock the door," he said angrily before slamming the door closed.

Jess heard Luke's outraged footsteps all the way down the stairs. He rolled over, and went back to sleep, brushing off the guilt. He was, afterall, still seventeen.

---

Two hours later, Jess had showered and was reading over his bowl of cereal when Rory burst through the door. She then promptly turned around, shut the door and knocked.

Jess blinked. "Come in," he called.

She re-entered, brandishing a book.

"Hello?" said Jess uncertainly.

"I've been carrying this book around for five hours," Rory said frantically. "I've been walking around town since five this morning, carrying this book. I stopped to read it a few times, but mostly I've just been carrying it."

"Why?" asked Jess slowly, starting to be concerned for her mental health.

"Because you asked me what book I had with me last night," Rory spilled in a rush. "And that made me start thinking about books, and high school, and you, and how I kind of stopped that whole chronically reading thing while I was going out with Logan, and how that used to be me, the chronic reader, and now I'm just...a person. I miss the person I was when I read all the time, so I went home and couldn't sleep, and I picked up the nearest book and started walking around with it. I want to be the girl who takes books with her everywhere again. I want to be me again." She took a breath and shifted on her feet as Jess continued to stare at her. "Why do you keep doing this to me?" she cried finally.

"Doing what?" Jess asked.

"Making me think!" Rory replied. "You keep showing up and slapping me in the face with reality, and then I think, and then I do something about it, and then life gets better. Why do you keep doing that? First, you get me to go back to school, then you get me to start reading again. I don't get it!"

Jess tried to do something other than gape at her, but nothing happened.

"Stop making me a better person, it's confusing!" Rory cried, then left, shutting the door behind her.

Jess didn't even get a chance to exhale before she was back again.

"Don't listen to what I just said, I want to be friends," she said in one breath, then immediately left again.

Jess shook his head and tried to figure out what just happened. When that didn't work, he put his cereal bowl in the sink and went downstairs to help in the diner.

* * *

Teaser: Rory smiled winningly at him. "All work and no play makes a man..." she slowed down, confused, and finished the thought as a question, "healthy, wealthy and wise?"

Reviews are happy things.


	10. Sun Shines Through the Rain

**A/N:** And we're back to the present again!

**Disclaimer:** Three are mine, but that's it. 

* * *

Rory flopped pointedly onto the couch next to Jess, who hadn't glanced at her as she entered the apartment. He was pouring over a plethora of notebooks, binders and official-looking papers, the reading glasses he'd been prescribed last year but never wore perched studiously on the bridge of his nose. His expression was intense and almost troubled. She nudged him slightly, silently begging for attention.

"Hi," he said finally, turning his head to kiss her in greeting and smiling distractedly.

"Hi," Rory replied, pouting as Jess went back to his papers. "What's shakin', professor?"

"Sorry?" Jess asked, looking at her in confusion.

"What's with the specs?"

Realizing what she meant, he looked down at his work again. "My eyes were bugging me and I got a headache, so I put them on," he explained, then, for good measure, added, "damn glasses."

Rory reached up and played with his hair. "You never wear those, how long have you been doing...whatever this is?"

"Couple hours," he responded, not looking up.

"What is all this?" Paper was scattered across the entire room, and there were at least four notebooks and folders just on her husband's lap, let alone the rest of the apartment.

"Truncheon stuff," Jess remarked. "We've been having some problems."

"That's why you keep going to Philly," Rory said, nodding.

Jess nodded in return. "And now Philly has come home with me," he stated. "I'm trying to figure all this financial stuff out, but it's not looking good."

"Aw." Rory kissed him sympathetically on the cheek. "You'll figure it out," she said reassuringly, then heaved herself up, fat stomach and all, and wobbled to the kitchen to order takeout. She stopped with her hand on the takeout drawer handle. "Do you want to go out tonight?" she called to Jess.

"Mm?" was the answer she got back.

"Go out? You? Want to?"

"I can't, I've got papers."

"We'll get them a babysitter," Rory promised. "Come on! It'll be fun, and you need a break. If you've been doing this so long that you're wearing your glasses, it's time for a break."

"I have to work," Jess argued, as Rory wandered over and sank into the cushions next to him again,

Rory smiled winningly at him. "All work and no play makes a man..." she slowed down, confused, and finished the thought as a question, "healthy, wealthy and wise?"

Jess laughed softly. "Not quite."

"What is it really?"

"Early to bed and early to rise."

"Oh yeah. And all work and no play makes?"

"Jack a dull boy."

Rory smiled warmly. "That's why I love you."

Jess stared at her. "Why?"

"Because you finish my sentences."

Jess laughed again, leaning in and kissing her gently. "Okay, fine, let's go to Luke's."

Rory squealed in delight and kissed him again.

---

One hand on her stomach, Rory waddled as quickly as she could into her apartment. She was late back from her doctor's appointment, and they had to go to Hartford tonight for Friday night dinner with her grandparents. "Jess, are you ready?" she yelled as she shut the door behind her. "Dress shirt, dress pants, dress shoes," she continued, listing the rules that her husband regularly tried to get away with breaking. "No converse, no vans, no t-shirts, no jeans. If you even think about sticking a book in your back pocket to read under the table again like you did last week, I will attack you with my huge stomach, and since I have baby, you'll be outnumbered!"

Jess walked out of the bedroom, dressed perfectly but with a phone pressed to his ear. Rory was surprised that he'd gotten dressed without urging nor critique on her part, then she saw his face. Shock, hurt and disquiet were etched over his immaculate features. He muttered into the phone urgently, then sighed in hopeless resignation.

"Okay," he said. "No, I know. Yeah. It's okay, we'll figure something out. I know. I know, it sucks. I know. Matt, I know. Tell Chris to shut up, I can barely hear you. Alright. I don't know, but we have to do something with them. Yeah. Yeah, I'll be there tomorrow. See you." He pressed the end button on the phone, and sat on the couch, staring into nothingness. Rory sat down hesitantly beside him.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice hushed.

Jess inhaled slowly. "Truncheon is closing," he said as though he couldn't believe it.

"No!" Rory cried, dismayed.

"We've been going under for a while now," Jess explained. "We just don't have the funds to keep it going anymore."

"How long?" Rory asked tentatively.

"For the next three weeks, we'll be setting our affairs in order, packing things up from the store, and helping our clients find other publishers." Jess sighed sadly. "By the end of the month, it'll be gone."

Rory had nothing comforting to say. She rested her head on his shoulder and kissed it sweetly, hoping wordless sympathy was enough for now. Jess squeezed her hand, then stood, bringing her up with him.

"Let's go to dinner," he said quietly, stuffing emotions away for now.

---

"Oh my god!" Lorelai cried as Luke heaved her up out of the car. "When did I get so fat?"

"You're not fat," Luke debated, steadying her with one hand and closing the car door with the other, "you're just pregnant."

"Oh," Lorelai replied, "_that_. Why am I even here? Shouldn't I be at home with April and the kids? I mean, my due date is next week."

"You know Grandma," Rory reminded, shutting her own door as Jess's closed with an almighty slam. "She wouldn't let you out of dinner unless you were actually in labor."

"True," Lorelai agreed, using Jess's shoulder to get to the door - sans permission. Jess glared, but made no comment. The woman _was_ almost nine months pregnant.

Rory squeezed Jess's hand as she cheerfully rang the doorbell.

Emily answered the door with a broad smile. "Hello!" she greeted happily. "Come in, come in, it's cold outside. Oh, Lorelai, look at you, you're glowing!"

"And growing," Lorelai answered. "This baby's going to weigh fifty pounds when it comes out."

"If it comes out," Jess retorted. Lorelai and Rory smacked him simultaneously. He smirked mischievously.

"Be good," Rory whispered in his ear as Emily led the way into the living room.

Richard stood as they entered the room. "Well, hello," he smiled. "Can I get everyone some drinks? Martinis? Soda for the girls?"

"Yes, please," Rory said cheerfully as Lorelai moaned in answer.

"Martinis, gentlemen?"

"Yes, thank you, Richard," Luke said, helping Lorelai onto one couch as Jess helped Rory onto the other.

"So, Lorelai," Emily began, "how are April and the babies?"

"Just great," Lorelai said, taking the drink her father was handing her. "Nathan just learned how to tie his shoes, so he's been tying all the shoes in the house, and Ella is right at that stage where most of her food ends up on the wall instead of in her mouth. But April's been a huge help. She's doing really well at Chilton too."

"I still can't believe her mom let her come live with us," Luke said to Lorelai.

"It was some miracle of impeccable timing, plus a sprinkling of consistent begging, I'd imagine," Lorelai answered.

"And Chilton is an excellent school," Emily added. "I'm sure her mother took into consideration the great advantage going to a school like Chilton would give April."

"However it happened, I'm glad she's here," Luke said.

"Amen, Sister Sledge," Lorelai toasted, taking another sip of her soda. "God, I can't wait till this baby comes out. I want a cocktail!"

"Well, you can't have one now," Emily pointed out unnecessarily. "You could give the baby brain damage. I read an article about babies whose mothers did all sorts of horrible things while they were pregnant. They drank, used drugs, you wouldn't believe it. Of course their children were all horribly deformed in one way or another."

"I know, mother," Lorelai answered snippily. "I didn't mean I was going to have one, I just said I wanted one. It's different."

"So, Grandpa," Rory said, changing the subject before things got ugly, "when's your next business trip?"

"I leave for Belgium on Monday," Richard answered, keen on avoiding an argument too.

"Mm," Lorelai cried, swallowing a gulp of her soda, "bring back some chocolate!"

"Very well," said Richard, "I think that can be arranged."

Lorelai raised her arms in victory.

"So, Jess," Emily said, turning to him, "how's the bookstore?"

"Fine," Jess lied seamlessly. Rory looked at him, but said nothing.

"And your writing?" continued Emily. "That's going well?"

Jess nodded. "I'm working on another novel."

"Well, isn't that lovely," Emily said.

"This is your third novel, is it?" Richard asked, interested.

"Yes, sir," Jess confirmed.

"His first just recently made the New York Times Best Sellers list," Rory added proudly.

"Really?" asked Emily, impressed.

"Well, that's quite an accomplishment, young man," Richard added.

"Yeah, we're all really proud of him," Luke agreed, smiling at his squirming nephew.

Jess was saved any further discomfort by the maid announcing dinner. They made their way into the dining room, Lorelai holding her stomach and making small noises with each step.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked her softly.

"Yeah, fine," Lorelai answered tersely. "Baby's just a little rambunctious."

"Do you want to go home?"

Lorelai snorted scoffingly. "Like my mother would let me. No, it's okay, I'm fine."

Luke wrapped his arm tenderly around her and escorted her to her seat.

Over salad, Emily began a conversation about Chilton and its classes, which Rory mostly contributed to, and Lorelai added a few quips and sarcastic remarks. Luke kept his hand on her knee supportively, and Jess remained mostly silent, as per usual, as Rory chattered away about teachers and subjects that April may or may not enjoy in her time at Chilton. By the time the chicken had come, the subject of Chilton had been abandoned in favor of a very silly conversation between Lorelai, Rory and Jess about lawn gnomes. When Luke brought up Pierpont and Jess glared across the table at him, Richard switched the talk to current events around the world. They were halfway to dessert when the routine was disrupted.

"Oh!" Lorelai cried suddenly, putting her hand to her voluminous stomach. "Oh my god!"

"What?" five voices asked.

"Oh my god, ohhh my god," she continued. "Ow! Oh my god!"

"Lorelai, what is it?" Luke asked, looking terrified. Rory had frozen, staring at her mother in fear, and Jess was halfway out of his chair, a concerned look spread across his face.

"What's going on, Lorelai?" Emily demanded, fear for her daughter adding edge to her voice. Richard was speechless, but equally concerned.

"Oh, my god, Luke," Lorelai said, turning towards her husband and gripping his arm, "we have to go to the hospital!"

"Why?" Luke practically yelled, panicking. "What happened, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, the baby's coming!" Lorelai cried. "I'm going into labor, ow! Ow! Luke, get me to the hospital!"

The flurry arose immediately. Luke jumped up to help Lorelai out of her chair, Jess had already circled the table to support Lorelai from the other side, Rory was halfway to the door, gathering keys and making mental lists, and Emily and Richard were gathering coats and purses. They were out the door in seconds. Luke sped away with Lorelai, Emily and Richard close behind them. Jess drove a frantic Rory back to Stars Hollow to get the kids and Lorelai's hospital bag. No one had anticipated this happening tonight, which made Rory disoriented and anxious. Jess reached across the car and held her hand the entire drive. When they got to Luke and Lorelai's house, Rory burst through the door, calling out orders and picking up everything in sight to take with them. Jess suggested the leave the peanut butter in favor of a pair of Lorelai's shoes, and began ushering April and the babies out the door. Once they had all of Lorelai's belongings and three kids stuffed in the backseat, they sped back to Hartford and to the hospital where Lorelai was currently mid-rant at the nurses about the ice chips and why the hell did they always give her ice chips when she was giving birth, complete with colorful exclamations and sadistic glares.

"Mom," Rory cried, letting go of Nathan's little hand and rushing over to Lorelai. Luke scooped up Nathan as April followed him, carrying Ella. Jess stood back.

"Rory, honey," Lorelai said with relief, interrupting her rant and taking Rory's hand. "And you brought the kids."

"Mom, you're going to be fine," Rory assured her.

A nurse walked in saying, "Alright, Mrs. Danes, it's time to take you in now." She stopped when she saw the group gathered around the room. "Oh. Who's going in with her?" She looked concerned that they all might want to go.

"I am," said Luke. "That's it, just me."

"Oh," the nurse said with obvious relief. "Great, the rest of you can wait in the lobby. Someone will come get you when it's all over."

Luke handed Nathan to Jess before they wheeled Lorelai, who had a death grip on Luke's hand, out of the room. Emily and Richard left quickly after them. Rory and Jess looked at each other.

"I guess we should go to the lobby," April said.

Rory nodded, her thoughts elsewhere. Jess hoisted Nathan to his other side, and took Rory's hand.

"Where'd mommy go?" Nathan asked in his lispy, two-year-old voice. Jess looked at him, but said nothing. Rory wasn't listening. So April stepped in.

"She went to go have your little sister," she explained.

"That's my little sister," Nathan protested, pointing at Ella, who stared at him with her big blue baby eyes.

"She went to go have another one."

"Oh," Nathan said, looking to Jess for confirmation. Jess nodded. "Okay."

They'd reached the lobby, and as soon as Jess put the little boy down, Nathan went running to play with the toys in the a box in the corner. April sat down with Ella, who was sucking on her hand, in her lap, and Jess and Rory sat down near her. Jess held Rory's hand tightly and whispered to her, "Your mom's going to be fine."

Rory nodded, but her worried expression didn't leave her face. She rested her head on Jess's shoulder as he removed his hand from hers to wrap his arm around her comfortingly. Within five minutes, she was asleep.

"That was fast," April whispered, noticing that Rory was sleeping.

Jess nodded. "She falls asleep quickly when she's nervous."

"That's weird," April said, frowning.

"That's Rory," Jess replied, stroking his wife's hair.

Nathan soon got tired of playing, just as Emily and Richard were returning from the cafeteria. He crawled up on Jess's lap without permission, but Jess had expected it and didn't protest. Ever since Jess had married Rory, when Nathan was still too little to put sentences together, Lorelai had told him that Jess was his big brother - his _very_ big brother. Nathan hero-worshipped Jess and took any opportunity to spend time with him. He also believed anything Jess told him, and sometimes wouldn't believe something someone else told him until Jess confirmed that it was true. Jess was often tempted to abuse this power, but most of the time was subdued by Rory's withering stare. A few times, however, his deviousness had seeped through. As evidence, Nathan now unquestioningly believed that swans were demonic creatures and to avoid them at all costs. Right now, though, Nathan was curling up in Jess's lap, falling gently asleep.

April snickered. "You're popular," she whispered to Jess.

Jess rolled his eyes. "What, am I a human pillow?"

"Yes," April said matter-of-factly.

"Hey, you've got one too," Jess argued. Ella was asleep in her arms.

"One," April pointed out. "And she's a baby, she sleeps on everyone. You've got two, and neither are babies."

"Nathan's close," Jess said half-heartedly, knowing he was losing the battle.

April smiled smugly, knowing she'd won. She glanced over to Emily and Richard, and smirked. "Guess it's nap time," she muttered.

Jess followed her gaze. The two older adults were asleep too.

"I don't get it," Jess whispered. "It's not even nine, why is everyone sleeping?"

"What, you like to boogie down at night?" April teased. "The night is young at ten? Like to rock and roll all night - ?"

"If you finish that sentence with 'and party every day', I will have no choice but to hurt you severely," Jess hissed.

"With two sleeping bodies weighing you down?" April taunted. "I don't think so."

Jess rolled his eyes again. "After they wake up, I will hurt you."

"Not with Rory around," April pointed out.

"Who said Rory will be around?" Jess asked threateningly.

April considered. "Point taken," she said. "No more party jokes."

Jess smirked. Round two: Jess.

"So," began April in a low whisper, "how's Truncheon?"

"Fine," Jess lied again.

"Okay," April said, "how is it really?"

Jess stared at her blankly. April smirked sadly.

"I thought so," she whispered.

"How?" Jess asked, narrowing his eyes.

April shrugged gently, careful not to disturb Ella. "You've had books and papers and calculating, concerned looks on your face every time you've come over for the past month and a half. It looked like you were trying to figure out how to get out of debt."

Jess sighed, then nodded. "We're closing," he admitted, so softly she barely heard him. "Snoop," he added accusingly.

April smiled a little. "What can I say?" she said, then looked at him seriously. "I'm really sorry about the store," she said genuinely. "What are you going to do now?"

"Get everything set so we can close with dignity," he replied. "Try to find another job."

"Good luck," April said. "What kind of job?"

Jess shrugged with the shoulder Rory wasn't leaning on. "Something related to books," he said.

April smirked. "Very specific."

"I like to keep an open mind."

April nodded, then yawned. Jess, feeling that the conversation was over now, maneuvered the book he'd smuggled to dinner despite Rory's threats about attacking him with her stomach out of his back pocket. April reached into her purse and pulled out her own book as Jess searched around the area close to him with his eyes. A ballpoint pen landed cleanly on his lap and he looked up at April, surprised.

"I've got your back, cousin-slash-step-brother-in-law," she whispered, smirking.

Jess smirked back at her before they both immersed themselves in their books and fell into a comfortable, literature-induced silence.

---

Rory felt a soft hand stroking her arm and heard her name being whispered softly and melodically in her ear. She opened her eyes to see a room full of sleeping people and her husband, waking her gently.

"How's Mom?" she asked quickly and quietly, because she saw April, Ella, Nathan and her grandparents were all asleep.

"She's fine," Jess whispered.

"Is she a mommy again?"

Jess nodded. "Luke wants us to come see the baby, and then we can go see Lorelai while he wakes the others."

Rory immediately stood up. Jess took a few seconds longer, as he lifted Nathan off his lap and placed him gently on the chair. Luckily, Nathan was a heavy sleeper and didn't notice the shift. Rory impatiently grabbed Jess's hand and pulled him over to where Luke was standing, waiting for them. When they reached him, Luke silently turned and walked down the hall, motioning for them to follow him. They were soon standing on one side of the nursery window, and Luke pointed to, in Rory's opinion, the most perfect, most beautiful baby in the room.

"That's her," Luke whispered emotionally.

Rory gasped. "She's perfect," she breathed. "What's her name?"

"Molly," Luke replied, staring at the tiny little girl. "Molly Emily Danes."

Rory smiled tearfully. "Hi, Molly," she said through the glass. "I'm your big sister, Rory, and this is your big brother, Jess. We're going to teach you all sorts of things." She paused and looked at Jess, then corrected herself. "_I'm_ going to teach you all sorts of things, including how not to listen to what Jess tries to teach you. You've got the best parents ever, Molly, and you're going to be so loved you won't know what to do with yourself." Rory smiled and turned to Jess again. "Aren't you going to say something to her?"

"She can't hear me, she's behind glass."

"So?"

"So, I'll talk to her when we're in the same room. She's not super-baby."

"She could be," Rory argued, turning back to the window. "How do you know she doesn't have super-hearing or something?"

Jess looked at Rory pointedly. Luke seemed to come out of a sort of daze and turned to them.

"Do you want to see Lorelai before she falls asleep?"

Rory eagerly answered the affirmative, and Luke led them to her room and left them there so he could go wake the others and stare at his new daughter some more. Jess kept silent for most of their time in the room as Rory and Lorelai had a tender mother-daughter moment together. But when the conversation turned silly and they started poking fun at him, he felt the need to step in and argue his own case. The debate was interrupted when Emily and Richard entered, followed by Luke, April and the kids.

"Mommy!" Nathan cried, running to Lorelai and climbing up on the bed next to her.

"Hey, squirt," Lorelai greeted sleepily. "Did you see your new sister?" Nathan nodded. "Did you like her?" He nodded again. "Is she pretty?"

"She's pink," Nathan stated.

"Well, she's a girl," Lorelai explained. Nathan accepted that answer easily and settled in next to his mother.

Emily was standing in the back of the room, teary-eyed. Lorelai looked up at her and smiled gently. "Hi, Mom," she whispered.

"Lorelai," Emily greeted, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you - " she paused and swallowed. When she began again, her voice was stronger. "Thank you for the name," she whispered.

Lorelai smiled.

* * *

**Preview: **_He smirked. "I'm sorry. Would you like me to turn around?"_

So? Thoughts on Lorelai's new addition?**  
**


	11. As In Olden Days

**A/N:** I know, I know, I close Truncheon and then just leave Jess job-less as I cut to another flashback. And I promise these flashbacks will be coming at longer intervals, instead of this sort of every-other thing I've been doing, but I really wanted to write a Christmas chapter, as it's around Christmas, and COYH present-time is in February right now (because that's what my timeline says), so here is another flashback. The last one for a few chapters. This is right after Rory and Jess start dating. I'm talking, two or three weeks. Their first Christmas as a couple. At least since they were teenagers.

Since I may not update again before January, I'd like to say Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and Happy New Year to everyone! I hope your holidays and the coming year are good to all of you. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer:** You know by now.

* * *

The bell above the diner rang quietly and Jess looked up from his book and smiled sweetly at the girl who had just entered. "Hey," he called to her softly.

"Hi," Rory answered, smiling as she sat down at the counter. Jess leaned over and kissed her gently. She smiled into his mouth for a moment before he pulled away again. It still felt _so_ good to be able to do that again. Looking into his beautiful eyes, she told herself not to get lost there and forget why she came.

"How was your day?" Jess asked, and something about the way he said it distracted her again.

"Fine," she said, giggling like a child. He grinned one of those rare, special, lopsided grins at her. Everything was so fresh, and so good between them. Rory was completely caught up in all those mushy feelings people always write songs about. Lyrics kept running through her head, and it felt like every love song had been written specifically for her. In fact, she had Johnny Cash lyrics running through her head right now. _You've got a way to keep me on your side, you give me cause for love that I can't hide, for you I know I'd even try to turn the tide._ She hummed a little of the last line absentmindedly, and then mentally shook herself. She had a reason for coming here other than just staring at those gorgeous brown eyes and feeling mushy and ridiculous. "Jess, I need to talk to you," she said decidedly.

"Yeah?" he asked, smiling crookedly at her, and the sparkle in his eyes mesmerized her. She lost her train of thought again.

"Mmm?"

"Rory?" He cocked his head, adorably confused.

"What?"

"You need to talk to me?" Now he was amused.

"Oh!" she blinked and tried to remember what she needed to say. "Stop doing that!" she scolded him.

"Doing what?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"I don't know," she said, frustrated. "Being adorable. Distracting me."

He smirked. "I'm sorry. Would you like me to turn around?"

"No, no, that won't help at all," she muttered and his smirk grew into a grin.

"I could hide under the counter," he offered. "Or you could close your eyes."

She considered the last option seriously for a moment, but decided against it. "No, that's silly. I can talk, right? I've had no trouble talking ever before in my life. I'll talk." She looked up at him and he looked down at her expectantly. "Uh..."

"Rory!" Now he was both amused and frustrated.

"Sorry," she said, smiling a little. "Okay, focus," she told herself, then looked back up at her new-old boyfriend. "What are you doing for Christmas?" she asked him seriously.

"What?" He hadn't been expecting that.

"Christmas," she repeated. "You know, Santa, presents, holly-jolly-ness?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I thought I might just hang out at home."

She downright pouted at that. "No!" she protested. "You can't spend Christmas alone!"

"Chris and Matthew would be there," Jess corrected her.

"Okay, that's not much better," she informed him. "Spending Christmas with your roommates-slash-business-partners when you _have_ a girlfriend is totally lame." She emphasized the last word heavily.

Jess smiled softly. "Girlfriend," he repeated, so softly she almost didn't hear it.

"Yes," she stated firmly. "I want to spend Christmas with you."

"Okay," he said, smiling.

"But," she began, and this is what she'd really come to argue about, "I don't want to do it in Philadelphia."

He narrowed his eyes, but let her continue.

"So," she said tentatively, "I was wondering what you thought about spending Christmas at my mom and Luke's house?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and she couldn't make out if he was considering, or just highly amused that she would even suggest that.

"So?" she prompted after a moment.

Jess sighed. "Okay," he said.

"What?" She'd been expecting an argument. She'd been prepared to pout, bribe and kiss her way into getting him to even consider it. His quick and satisfying answer threw her.

"I said okay," he repeated. "It might be nice...maybe."

"It will," she assured him.

"As long as _everybody_ is nice," he said, looking at her pointedly.

She knew he was referring to her mother, who was less than thrilled about her daughter's recent reunion with her old boyfriend who once broke her heart and her wrist. "_Everybody_ will be nice," Rory assured him. "I promise."

He searched her face for a moment before answering. "Okay, then."

Rory grinned and leaned over the counter to kiss him again. It was supposed to be a short kiss, but somehow she ended up sitting on her heels on top of the counter, hands tangled in his hair with his hands resting on her hips. She laughed softly into his mouth. "How'd I get up here?" she asked, amused.

Jess shook his head briefly, but didn't speak, leaning back into her kiss.

---

"And you promise not to get into any verbal sparring matches with him?" Rory called from the kitchen.

"Oh my god," Lorelai cried, fussing with the huge red bow that was tied to the stair rail, "for the seven hundred and eighty-fifth time, I will be nice!"

"You two just don't have the best track record," Rory argued, licking icing off her finger and inspecting her gingerbread house.

"Jeez, Officer Krupke," Lorelai protested loudly, "give me the benefit of the doubt. I'm trying to be supportive of you two, and I'm trying really hard to give him a second chance. I will be super nice, I promise."

"You don't like him," Rory said insightfully, coming into view and leaning in the door frame.

Lorelai walked up to her and put her hands on Rory's shoulders. "I want to like him," she said firmly. "You like him. Luke likes him. I want to like him."

"But you don't," Rory stated.

Lorelai sighed. "Jess and I have a big, stinky history," she explained.

"So do Jess and I," Rory protested.

"But, honey," Lorelai argued, "you liked him from the beginning. I didn't like him from the beginning. It's different." Rory made a face. "I will like him," Lorelai promised. "I just need space. And time. When is he getting here?"

"Not for a couple of hours," Rory replied.

"Perfect," Lorelai said, smiling. "The house will be ready, Luke will be here so the two of you can play Polite Police, and I'll look fantastic, which, as you well know, puts me in a great mood. It'll be great."

Rory smiled reluctantly. "Okay," she said.

"Great," Lorelai agreed. "Now help me with the Joseph Stalin of Christmas wreaths over here."

---

"He's here!" Rory called up the stairs.

Lorelai sighed, readying herself, and Luke kissed her gently on the top of her head.

Rory ran to open the door. Jess stood outside, shoulders hunched from the cold and haloed in snow. Rory smiled a little shyly at him and he reached out and pulled her onto the porch with him. She brushed some of the snow out of his hair, and he leaned in to kiss her tenderly. She gasped and pulled away, but his arms were so tightly wrapped around her, she couldn't go far.

"Your lips are cold!" she reported, halfway between a scold and a laugh.

He smiled crookedly at her. "Huh," he said in mock befuddlement. "Well, then I guess you'll just have to warm them up, won't you?"

"I guess so," Rory agreed and kissed him again.

Lorelai fidgeted with the bow on the stairs. And the pillows on the couch. And the hem of her shirt. Luke took both her hands in one of his and sat down on the couch, pulling her onto his lap.

"It's going to be fine," he murmured in her ear.

Lorelai looked at the pure honesty in his eyes and smiled a little, believing him, trusting him completely.

Rory and Jess entered, hand in hand and smiling. Lorelai and Luke rose to greet Jess. Luke clapped him on the shoulder and Lorelai semi-awkwardly shook his hand. Rory gave Lorelai a look and Lorelai shrugged at her behind Luke's back.

"Here, Jess, I'll help you get your stuff in," Luke told him, leaving the girls in the living room. They stomped through the snow out to Jess's car, and Luke peered over Jess's shoulder as he opened the trunk. "Jeez," he said when he saw what was inside, "you're _still_ using that old duffel bag?"

"It's a good bag," Jess protested. "It holds all my stuff, I only need one bag."

"You've had that bag since you moved in with me when you were seventeen," Luke argued.

"Longer," Jess corrected. "And it's been better to me than half the people I've known. The bag stays."

"Invest in some luggage or something," Luke pleaded.

"No," Jess said simply.

"What do you want me to carry?" asked Luke, giving up.

"Nothing," Jess replied, "this is it."

"Well, then, why did I come out here?"

"I thought you were giving the Gilmore girls a moment alone so Rory could tell Lorelai to be nice for the seven hundred and eighty-sixth time."

"No," said Luke, "I came out to give you a hand. How do you know these things?" he added in bewilderment.

"How do you not?" Jess countered. Luke glared. "We should go back in, they'll think we got attacked by wolverines or something."

Luke opened the door, thinking if he wasn't carrying anything he could at least open doors. Lorelai and Rory marched into the foyer to meet them.

"There you are," Lorelai said to the snow-covered men in front of her. She leaned up to give Luke a quick kiss. "We thought you'd been eaten by wolverines."

Jess smirked as he walked smugly passed Luke.

"Oh, now this is just ridiculous!" Luke protested.

Lorelai looked confused. "Hon, what?"

"Nothing, never mind," Luke said, pulling her into the living room.

Rory looked at Jess. "Well, come on," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him through the kitchen into her old room. A cot was set up next to her bed and she gestured toward the bed. "Go ahead and put your bag down. Do you want more pillows? Hey, mister, you're supposed to take _that_ bed," she admonished, pointing to her bed as Jess dropped his bag on the cot.

"No way," Jess argued. "This is your house, that is your bed. I sleep here. Sleep in your own bed."

"But you're the guest," Rory protested, a hint of a pout gracing her face. Jess wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a kiss, erasing the pout from her features.

"Sleep in your bed," he whispered, inches from her face.

Rory giggled. "Okay," she conceded. Jess smirked and pulled away and Rory half-cursed herself for being so twidderpated.

"So, your mom..." Jess prompted, pulling clothes out of his bag and dumping them on the cot.

"She promised to behave," Rory reported confidently. "And you?"

"I promise too," Jess said, nodding at her.

"Good," Rory smiled. She held out her hand as Jess finished emptying his bag, and he took it, stroking it with his thumb. "Let's go," Rory said, walking with him back into the living room.

---

Lorelai pouted down at her cards. "Ooh," she said in disappointment, "very bad hand."

"Me too," Rory complained. "What do you have?"

Lorelai tilted her cards toward her daughter. "You?"

Rory did the same.

"Hey," said Lorelai excitedly, "trade this one of mine for that one of yours?"

"Deal," Rory said, but as she tried to hand her mother the indicated card, Jess reached over and grabbed her wrist. "Hey!"

"Cheater," Jess accused and Rory's jaw dropped in shock at the claim.

"Let go of me!" she shouted in indignation. Jess raised his eyebrows at her and tightened his grip on her wrist. "Hey!" she cried again.

"No trades," Jess ordered. Rory pouted.

"Kin can trade," Lorelai argued.

"Yeah," Rory agreed, "that's how we've always played it."

Unexpectedly, Jess let go of her wrist. "Okay," he said, and Rory and Lorelai looked at each other in shock that he bought that. "That means Luke and I can trade too."

"Drat!" Lorelai cried as Rory made a frustrated noise. "They're already winning," she muttered loudly to Rory, "I think we just inadvertently gave them another cannonball to fire."

"We've aided our enemies," Rory said mournfully.

"I want ho-cho," Lorelai randomly exclaimed.

"Oh, mom!" Rory cried. "Don't say ho-cho!"

"Ho-cho!" Lorelai yelled again and Rory made a squawking noise.

Luke got to his feet. "I'll make some," he said, heading to the kitchen.

"Ho-cho!" Lorelai repeated joyfully.

Rory stood up too. "I'll get the marshmallows," she said and hurriedly left the room.

"Ho-cho!" Lorelai yelled after her.

Jess and Lorelai looked at each other awkwardly, realizing that they were the only two left in the room. Lorelai cast around for something to say as Jess cast around for a reason to leave the room. He'd just used the bathroom, so that was no good, and it probably wouldn't go over well with Lorelai if he tried to convince her that he just needed to go make out with her daughter for a minute. Lorelai shot down three conversation options on the basis that they were ridiculous – knit hats, snow globes, whale blubber – and convinced herself to just start talking.

"So..." she began, looking over at Jess, who had, while she was absorbed in thought, decided that faking sleep might be his best option. She stopped short when she saw his limp form propped up against the coffee table that they'd pushed out of the way to play cards. "Hey," she protested. "What are you, narcoleptic?"

Jess opened an eye. "Didn't fool you, huh?"

"You fell asleep in like two seconds," Lorelai said, "only circus freaks do that. Besides, you were half sitting up, and only chickens do that. Circus freak chicken boy."

"My Native American name, I believe," Jess responded, and Lorelai blinked, taken aback at the familiarity of the statement.

"I said that," she said.

"Excuse me?" Jess asked, narrowing his eyes and cocking his head.

"I said that," Lorelai repeated, "to my dad once. He said 'Impossible girl', and I said that."

"Huh," Jess said.

Lorelai shifted a little, uncomfortably. "You know, Rory keeps trying to tell me that you and I are alike," she told Jess.

Jess nodded. "Me too."

"I always deny it. Vehemently."

Jess narrowed his eyes. "Me too."

Lorelai frowned. "Maybe she's..." she trailed off.

Jess glanced briefly at the television, which was off.

"What's your favorite movie?" Lorelai asked.

Jess looked back at her. "I can't decide," he said. "I was on an _Almost Famous_ kick for a while. Now there are too many."

Lorelai nodded. "Me too. I mean, not the _Almost Famous_ thing, although that's not a bad movie, but the too many thing. Me too. I've always loved _The Godfather_."

"I used to watch Sophia's death scene over and over," Jess confessed.

"Me too!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I mean, I still do."

Jess cocked his head. "This is weird."

"I know," Lorelai agreed. "Maybe Rory was right?"

Jess looked at her evenly.

"You don't get to hurt her this time," Lorelai warned him seriously. "You don't get to leave. You don't get to disappear after a fight and then never talk about it again. You work out your problems this time. Talk to her. She's a great listener, you just have to talk. You hurt her, I'll kill you. I'm talking Freddy Krueger here. Cold-blooded, premeditated murder. You understand?"

"You'll have to take a number," Jess responded and Lorelai raised her eyebrows at his audacity, "because if I hurt her this time, I get to be first in line to kill me. We're talking razors to wrists here."

Lorelai looked him over, sizing him up. "You mean it?"

"Hey," Jess replied, "If I screw this up like I did the last time – if I hurt her like that again – that's all I'll deserve."

Lorelai nodded in approval. "Okay, then," she said.

Rory and Luke entered with hot chocolate. Rory sat down right next to Jess, handing him his cup. He ducked his head to kiss her shoulder briefly. Luke glanced over at Lorelai to make sure the gesture hadn't made her feel awkward or uncomfortable and was surprised to see her smiling softly. She sipped her hot chocolate and glanced at her husband. Luke raised his eyebrows at her and she grinned.

"Good ho-cho," she complimented him.

"Aw, mom!" Rory protested.

---

"Jess," a voice sang quietly in his ear. "Jess, wake up." He opened his eyes and rolled over to stare straight up into a pair of sparkling cerulean eyes. "Merry Christmas," Rory whispered.

"Hi," Jess mumbled. "What time is it?"

"Six thirty," Rory replied softly. Jess groaned. "Come on, it's Christmas morning! Doesn't it make you feel like a little kid again?"

"Rory," Jess protested sleepily, "I didn't grow up like you did. Christmas morning wasn't a big deal."

"Oh, come on," Rory argued, the thought of little Jess spending Christmases without joy making her feel sad and uncomfortable. "It must have been a little special."

"Pick a year," Jess challenged.

"Okay," Rory accepted. "When you were ten."

Jess thought for a moment. "When I was ten, I'd stayed out all the night before with my friend Joel, we ran around slashing people tires and throwing spit-balls at Santas. I believe the day ended with Joel and I getting caught trying to lift candy bars from a mini mart. Liz was home drunk all day. Someone had just dumped her."

Rory frowned. "When you were seven?"

"When I was seven I woke up early for no reason. I sat under the pathetic tree we had and read _A Christmas Carol_ to try to get in the spirit of things while I waited for Liz to get home with her jerk of the week."

"Didn't you ever get any presents?" Rory asked, distressed.

"Luke usually sent some," Jess answered, nodding. "That year, I think he sent me a toy train."

"Do you still have it?"

"Liz might."

Rory paused, not sure if she wanted to hear more. "What about when you were five?" she asked, thinking about her own Christmas that year. They were still living in the shed at the Inn then, and the party at the Inn that night had been spectacular. It had snowed, and she'd gotten Colonel Clucker as a present from her mom.

To her surprise, Jess smiled slightly. His eyes took on a sort of far-away look as he said, "That was a good year."

Rory smiled. Finally, she thought. "Tell me," she asked.

"Mom wasn't dating anyone at the time, and she'd broken up with him, so she wasn't depressed. We lived in a little apartment in the Lower East Side – back before it turned yuppie – and Luke came to visit us on Christmas Eve. He and my mom were joking and laughing, and I don't think they fought at all that night, which is rare for them. Luke brought some presents and we put them under the tree, but they let me open one that night. It was a Dr. Seuss book, which I could read by myself, and I was very proud of that fact. Luke left that night, because we really didn't have anywhere for him to sleep, so it was just me and Mom on Christmas morning. We opened all of Luke's presents, and that was a year she was trying to get sober, so she'd gotten me presents too. I remember being really excited about that morning. What?" he asked, because Rory was looking at him funny.

"You called her 'Mom'," she pointed out.

"Liz," Jess corrected himself, but too late. He smiled reluctantly. "When I was five, I called her 'Mom'."

Rory grinned. She rolled off of her bed and squeezed in next to him on the cot, covering herself with his blanket and cuddling up to him to keep warm. "Pretend like you're five," she asked him. "Be excited about Christmas morning. Be proud of yourself that you can read on your own. Call you mother 'Mom'. Let's be five, come on!"

"If I was five, you'd be four," Jess pointed out. "And if we were that young, I couldn't do this." He kissed her sweetly.

Rory rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Just pretend," she ordered.

"Rory!" they heard Lorelai call from outside, far enough away that she was probably still upstairs. "Rory, come on! It's CHRISTMAS!"

Jess looked at Rory.

"Lorelai's good at pretending to be five," Rory explained.

---

Lorelai sat perched in the middle of her wrapping paper nest, smiling like a little kid. "I love Christmas," she announced. "And I love my pretty bracelet," she added, leaning towards Luke to give him a quick kiss.

"I love my book," Rory said, excitement coloring her voice.

"Yeah, a book, big deal," said Lorelai sarcastically.

"Hey," Rory argued, "this book is first edition and rare! I love it." She kissed Jess in gratitude.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Nerd," she muttered. Rory grinned.

"Okay," Lorelai said, getting to her feet and pulling Luke up with her, "time for more coffee." She stepped delicately over the wrapping paper gathered around her, and guided Luke into the kitchen.

Rory looked up at Jess. "Are you coming to Hartford with me tonight?"

Jess nodded. "We should leave in a few hours."

"Okay," Rory agreed. "Thank you for the book."

Jess smiled. "Thanks for making me act five."

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Jess raised his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I've always loved you."

Rory grinned ecstatically. Then she jumped up. "I have to go tell Mom!" she cried, and ran into the kitchen, leaving Jess laughing on the living room floor.

---

A few hours later, they were in Rory's car on the way to Hartford. Jess had made arrangements for Luke to take his car back to the diner, and he'd take a bus back to Stars Hollow before driving to Philadelphia. It was a slightly elaborate plan, but Jess and Rory thought it was worth it to spend the extra time alone together.

About half-way to Hartford, Rory's cell phone rang. She glanced at Jess, whose eyes were properly on the road, before answering.

"Hello?"

"Rory!" It was Lorelai. She sounded excited.

"Hey, Mom, what's going on?"

"I have huge news!"

"Huge news? Huge good or huge bad?" Jess glanced over at her curiously.

"Huge good, definitely huge good."

"Well, what is it?"

"Are you ready?" Lorelai paused for dramatic effect. "I'm pregnant again!"

"What?" Rory squealed. Jess looked at her again. "Mom's pregnant!" she cried. Jess raised his eyebrows. "Oh, Mom, that's so exciting! I'm so happy for you! I finally get a little...sibling thing!"

"Let's hope it not a little alien thing."

"If you keep drinking coffee like you do, it will be," Rory heard Luke's voice through the phone.

"Oh, shush," Lorelai told him. "Okay, sweetie, Luke and I are going to go celebrate. I just wanted to tell you. Call me when you wake up tomorrow."

"Will do," Rory promised. "I love you, Mom."

"Aw, kid, back at ya."

Rory hung up the phone and looked at Jess, who looked apprehensive. "What, you're not happy for them?"

"No, no I am," Jess told her. "I'm just thinking about Luke."

"Luke's a great father," Rory said. "He's really good with April, and he was like my second dad from the time I was little."

"Little," Jess pointed out. "And April walked into his life on her own two feet. Have you seen that man around babies?"

"Well, how was he around you?"

"I don't really remember, everything before I was three is sort of black."

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he'll be great," she said.

"Just as long as Lorelai teaches him how to hold it."

"Why?"

"Apparently, when I was an infant, he dropped me."

"What?" Rory cried, appalled and amused. "No!"

Jess nodded, laughing.

Rory smiled. "I like hearing about your childhood," she told him.

"Well, don't get used to it," Jess answered. "Something about Christmas time makes me a personal storyteller."

"I'll keep that in mind," Rory said mischievously.

"You are your mother's daughter."

"Thanks." Rory smirked. "Hey, it looks like you two started getting along."

"A little."

"Well, I'm glad."

Jess glanced at her. "I'm glad you're glad."

Rory leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Jess."

He smiled at her. "Merry Christmas, Rory."

* * *

**Teaser:** _She was getting identical looks of horror from the men in front of her and she snickered in amusement._

And yes, the baby Lorelai's pregnant with is Nathan, in case you were wondering. Please review! The next few chapters are all in story time, and you get to see what happens to Jess. He needs a job now and I know where he's going to work, but what are your speculations? I'd like to hear your thoughts and ideas as to what job he may pursue now.


	12. These Black Eyes And These Bruises

**A/N:** So I realized I lied to you last time. That teaser isn't actually from this chapter, I decided it would be optimum in another one later on. But it's coming soon, so do not despair if you were looking forward to it. Here's a shortish chapter I decided to post before the new year because you all are so wonderful and amazing and I'm so happy and a little floored by the support this story has gotten. We're into over 100 reviews now! That makes me super super happy! Thank you guys so much! So yes, I wrote the end of this chapter quite a while ago, and the rest is just sort of a formal goodbye. Kind of sad, but it's sort of a filler chapter and it's not really my best work, but it's kind of necessary, and we have good stuff coming. I hope you like it anyway! 

I going out of town for a few days in the morning, but I already have the next chapter written, so expect an update soon. The next chapter's really fun, especially if you like the interactions between Jess and Lorelai.

**Disclaimer:** No living characters are mine. One is, but he's dead.

* * *

Jess sighed deeply as he looked around the room. Matt was standing next to him solemnly, and Chris was finishing moving his crossword puzzles from his desk into a bag in his hands. They were the only three left, since Rory was at home, too pregnant to make the trip to Philadelphia. 

"The end of an era," Matt said sadly, gazing around the room.

"This is depressing," Chris agreed.

Jess said nothing, just continued to look at the place where he'd first become a self-sufficient adult. Even writing his own book hadn't forced him to grow up like this wonderful, perfect, crappy place.

"Did you get your stuff out of the apartment?" Matt asked Chris, who was the only one still packing as they had all predicted.

Chris nodded. "I checked twice."

"Did you?" Matt asked Jess softly.

Jess looked at him. "I don't know," he said. "I haven't been up there in weeks."

"You should check," Matt suggested. "You might not have gotten it all last time."

"Who are you talking to?"

"I know you're not Chris – "

"Hey!"

Matt and Jess turned to stare at him.

"Oh," said Chris. "Sorry, that's accurate. Continue."

"I know you're not Chris," Matt repeated pointedly, "but you did have a lot of stuff up there and you didn't move everything out when you and Rory moved to Stars Hollow."

Jess looked at him for a moment before silently heading up the stairs. He walked into his old room and looked around mournfully. The four-poster bed that sat in the middle of the far wall, between the room's two windows, was stripped bare. The tribe of bookshelves that had once lined the walls was gone, and now resided in his and Rory's living room. The door to the attached bathroom was open, but the light was off and unwelcoming. He checked the drawers of the dresser he'd used, and as expected, they were empty and barren. He looked in the bathroom, and it was spotless. The only thing he found was an old crumpled piece of paper that had fallen between the headboard and the wall. He unfolded it and recognized the whimsical but intelligent handwriting instantly.

_To Jess, Matt and Chris, the best bookstore owners/publishers in he entire world,_

_I read one of the books you've published today, and I have to say you guys have great taste. It was so good, I can't wait to see that author make it big time._

_But of course, you know my favorite._The Subsect_ is the best book you guys have ever published. It fact, it's the best book ever written, so kudos for picking it up first._

_I would also like to take a moment to let Matt and Chris know that Jess has no idea I'm writing this. He won't like it when you find it, but I have to leave earlier than I thought, so I won't get to see you boys return as conquering heroes from your meeting. Just pretend I'm singing _Hail the Conquering Heroes_ to you right now._

_You boys are the best. I'm so happy to have all of you in my life right now. One of you specifically, but the other two are awesome guys and I love being friends with you. I want all three of you to know that your bookstore is the best bookstore ever, and I love it to death. If a bookstore could die from love smothering, yours would've dropped dead weeks ago just because of me. That's how much I love it._

_You should also know that the little heart with the letters R.G. drawn in permanent marker on the base of the banister is from me. I hope you don't mind. I just had to leave this place a little permanent Gilmore love. I did it to my mom's jeep years ago, and my mom's house shortly after that._

_I love you all in very different ways, and I am so proud of what you've done here._

_Vive la Truncheon!_

_Rory_

Jess folded the note sadly and put it gently in his pocket. He hurried down the stairs, pausing at the bottom and letting his eyes rest on the little heart drawing near the floor, then moved back close to the door. Matt came out from an adjacent room.

"Nothing?"

Jess shook his head.

"Good," Matt said, nodding. He hoisted a box he was carrying. "Chris and I just remembered our little storage place from when the three of us first moved in here. We'd totally forgotten about it. This is yours." He placed the box on Chris's empty desk and walked out again. It was a small shoe box, and Jess couldn't for the life of him remember what it held. So he uncovered the lid and looked inside.

It was his essentials box, in case he ever needed to go somewhere quickly and didn't have time to pack. There was the first copy of _The Subsect_ they'd ever printed, a worn Hemingway, fifty dollars cash, a list of important phone numbers, Luke's being the first one, and right at the bottom, another folded paper. This one was older-looking than the one he'd found upstairs. He opened it cautiously, still unsure of what it contained.

_Dear Jess,_

_As I'm writing this, I'm watching your mother rock you to sleep. You're only six months old right now, but when you read this, you'll be sixteen. At least, that's how it's supposed to go. I'm writing this to you because I don't know where I'll be when you turn sixteen years old, but the docs don't seem to think I'll make it much back sixteen months. So in case that's true, let me introduce myself. I'm your Grandpa Tony, your father's dad. This first time I saw you, I cried. And mind you, I don't cry often. Never in front of people. But in front of you, I cried. The first time you smiled, it was to me. You and I, we have a special relationship. Just don't tell your mom, she might get jealous._

_I don't know where Jimmy – your dad, my son – will be when you read this either, but I want you to know he's an idiot for leaving you. I'm very mad at him. In fact, I'm not speaking to him. Don't worry, I'll tell him I love him before I kick, but for now, I'm not speaking to him. He's a dunce and he deserves hellish things for leaving you. But if he ever tries to make contact, don't push him away. Give him a chance. He's a dunce, but he tries._

_Don't grow up to be like me. I was an alcoholic. I drank all the time. It wasn't good for me, and that's why the docs are giving me time limits on my life now. I had a horrible relationship with my father, and I got not a great one with my son. I got a good one with you, though, and that's something. Just don't grow up to be like me, okay? We need people. We may not want to, but we do. Don't push them away. Don't be stupid. I was stupid, it's my job._

_You probably don't want girl advice from your dead grandfather, but I have to tell you just one thing: when you find a girl who loves you and puts up with all your crap, and you love her too, do whatever it takes to keep her. That's the most important thing I could tell you. Especially if you take after me and your dad, which I have a feeling you will._

_Alright, now this is important, so listen up: you need a father figure. Your mom is going to do her best, but you need a father figure. If your dad comes back, maybe it can be him. Or maybe you'll have a stepdad. Chances are you won't have me, and if you don't have anyone, find someone. A friend's dad, maybe, or a special mentor. If you have the opportunity, though, I'd recommend your uncle Luke. He may seem grumpy sometimes, but he's got a heart of gold that one. He cried the first time he saw you too. He'd never admit it, but he did. I can tell you because I'll be dead when you read this, so he can't hurt me. He's a great person, and he tries, and this one succeeds, unlike your father. He could be the best person for you if you let him. He'll be whatever you need him to be. He could take care of you, help you out, or just be the guy to break up the fights and fix you hangover elixirs (not that I'm suggesting you get hangovers, in fact I discourage it). He really does love you, and he wants to make you happy._

_I suppose that's all the wisdom one Mariano can pass on to another. Just remember it, okay? And I want you to know that I love you very much, and I wish more than anything I could watch you grow up. I just got this feeling about you, kid. You come from a weird place, and the odds are against you, and maybe you feel like the world is against you to. Maybe the world is against you, I don't know, I'm dead. But I got this feeling. You're gonna to turn out okay. Better than okay, in fact, you're gonna be one of the good ones. One of the great ones. You're gonna do something special. Something big. Don't feel like that's pressure or anything, 'cause it's not. It's just how it's gonna turn out. I am so proud of you already, and I know when you grow up to be just what I know you can be, everyone else will be just as proud as I am and I've always been of you._

_You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be great._

_I love you, kid._

_Grandpa Tony_

Jess sighed again. His mother had given him this letter on his sixteenth birthday. He hadn't paid much heed to it then, preferring to dismiss it as some crazy old dying man who didn't even really know him, but he'd always kept it. He knew it was one of the big reasons he'd turned out okay. Somehow, this old man he couldn't even remember had played a big part in shaping his life.

Funny how endings make people reminisce about their beginnings. And funny how the end is sadder because of the start.

Matt and Chris reappeared.

"Time to close up," Chris said solemnly. Jess nodded.

The three men carried the last of their belongings to the door, and in unison, as if called, turned back to the room.

"Goodbye, Truncheon," said Matt seriously for the three of them. "You were a good friend."

He flipped the switch, and the room went dark.

The men went away silently, sharing in grief until they got to their separate cars. Jess sat motionless behind the wheel for a minute, then headed for the nearest bar.

---

"This," Jess began three days later, and then stopped. Luke shifted his eyes from the counter he was wiping to his nephew, who was seated at the counter he was wiping. Jess had one finger in the air as though about to make a point, but his eyes were wandering around the ceiling. As Luke watched him, he seemed to remember that he'd been speaking, and decided to finish. "Sucks."

"What sucks, Jess?"

Jess focused his gaze on his uncle. He raised his other hand, forgetting that he already had one in the air, and then dropped them both to the counter. "I don't remember."

"Jess, please, go upstairs, I'll be up there in a minute, we'll get you all fixed up and sober, then you can go home." Luke was so disappointed in Jess. He'd been sober for years, and here he was, more drunk than Luke had seen him, probably ever.

"I don't wanna go home."

"Luke, I need coffee!" Lorelai cried, bursting through the door. She'd had the baby just over a month ago and had been inhaling coffee ever since. April was at home watching the kids, and Lorelai was on a caffeine craze. She needed coffee! Then she saw Jess. "Woah, Jess," she said, stopping in her tracks. Jess did not appear to notice her. She looked quizzically at Luke.

"Jess – " Luke began to his nephew.

"I don't wanna go home!" Jess slurred insistently.

"Jess, honey – " Lorelai said as she sat down next to him, then she smelled his breath. "I'm sorry, are you drunk?"

"Huh?" Jess turned towards her voice. "No. No, I just had a few beers."

Lorelai was overwhelmingly reminded of the time Luke had drunkenly tried to fix her broken window and she had given him Barbie band-aids. In fact, Drunk Jess was remarkably similar to Drunk Luke, only more sarcastic and Jess-like. Lorelai looked at Luke, who shrugged his bewilderment at what on earth to do, then she placed one hand of Jess's shoulder and asked gently, "Jess, honey, why don't you want to go home?"

"Rory and I had a fight," Jess answered. "She told me to get out. So I'm out. I got out. And Truncheon is gone. Forever. It's gone. And I'm out. I need a smoke." With the last sentence, he let his head fall to the counter.

"You quit," Lorelai reminded him.

"I know." His slur was now muffled by the counter.

"Jess, you have to go home."

"No, I don't."

"So you intend to live on Luke's counter?"

"Looks that way."

"And die on Luke's counter?"

"Why not?"

"And when your skeleton lies decomposed in this very spot, we'll look at it and say, 'That was Jess. He preferred a cold, unsanitary counter to his wife and home.' "

"Sound's about right."

" 'He enjoyed vandalism, and ambushing swans.' "

"Did he now?"

" 'And he was scared of his pregnant wife.' "

"Great story, you should tell it at Christmas."

Lorelai had had enough. She shoved Jess upright by his shoulder and glared at him. He scowled back at her, exactly like he had when he was seventeen.

"Jess, get your act together. Rory is eight months pregnant, of course she's going to verbally abuse you whenever you have a disagreement. You've been a hero for months, and now suddenly, when it's almost over and you're about to get the best prize in the history of ever - trust me, I've had four of them - you're going to quit? Throw in the towel? No! You don't quit, Jess, I know you. You didn't quit when you wanted Rory the first time, you didn't quit when you knew you needed to get your life together, you didn't quit when you wanted Rory the second time, you are not quitting now! I won't let you!" Lorelai finished off her speech with her famous, 'do what I say, or I'll hurt you' stare.

Jess glared right back at her. It was as though everything he'd worked so hard to achieve for years had come crashing down around him in one day. His wife, the love of his life, the reason he was who he was today, had kicked him out of their home in a rage. He was drunk. He hadn't been drunk in years. He'd worked hard not to be drunk in years. The last time he had been this drunk was when he was living in California with his dad and Rory had told him over the phone that she was moving on from him. He really wanted a cigarette. He'd worked hard to quit that too. And now all his old walls had made a grand reappearance and he was as closed and angry as the first day he'd set eyes on Stars Hollow.

Lorelai wasn't moving from her death stare. In fact, she had no intention on moving until Jess broke. The image she had in her head was of Jess weeping on the counter in repentance, donning a suit of white armor while reciting the lyrics of the Beatles' _When I Get Home_, leaping into action upon a white steed and galloping home to Rory (who was, by the way, dressed like Sleeping Beauty) who would welcome him home with tears of joy that he'd returned. She had no thought of budging until the entire scene in her mind had played out.

Then her cell phone rang.

"Drat." It was Rory. "Oh, I have to take this. Rory? Honey, what's wrong? Mommy can't understand you, sweets. What? No, no, he's here! Yes, he's sitting right in front of me. No, baby, I'm not lying, he's not in New York. Or Philadelphia. No, he's not on a bus to California. Honey, he's at Luke's sitting right in front of me. I'm watching him make a hat out of a paper napkin as we speak. No - no, sweetie, he's not really - I was kidding, honey. Yes, he's upset. Well, babe, he's not doing so good. No. Yeah, I know, I heard you told him to leave. Well, honey, he thought you meant it. He said you yelled it. Well you can't really expect him to know that you didn't mean it, he's never been pregnant before. Sweetheart, you've got to tell him yourself. Okay. Okay, honey, I'll give him the phone. Jess," Lorelai put her hand over the phone, "she wants to talk to you."

"I'm not here."

"Yes, you are."

"I stepped out."

"Jess, _take the phone!_"

Her tone was so commanding, Jess was scared to disobey.

"Rory?"

"Jess!" She was in tears, he heard it in her voice. "Jess, I'm so sorry, I never wanted you to leave, I love you and I need you and I can't raise our baby without you, and I want you to come home, I'm sorry, please come home, Jess I love you, I'm sorry, I need you, I didn't mean what I said, I never should have told you to leave, Mom said you're not doing so good and it's all my fault and I'm so, so, so sorry, please come home, I'll help you get back together, I'll take care of you, just come home, I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry!" She said it all as one long, fast sentence in one breath.

Jess didn't say anything at first. He heard her quietly sobbing and gasping through the phone, but stayed silent. The torrent inside him was wreaking havoc again. Old habits and reflexes viciously attacking his resolve, the blood of his better judgment was spilled all over the proverbial floor of his mind.

"Jess?"

"I'm coming home, Rory," he said finally. "But I'm drunk." Admitting it to Rory right away was important if he wanted to get clean again.

Rory let out a relieved sob. "That's okay, just get here and I'll help you."

They hung up, and Jess looked around at Luke and Lorelai.

Luke came around the counter. "I'm taking him home," he told Lorelai. "Go ahead and get your coffee, I'll be back soon."

As they exited the diner and set a course for the apartment, Luke smiled at Jess.

"I'm proud of you, Jess," he said. Jess stared at him. "I mean, not about getting drunk, I'm very not proud about that, but you did the right thing. You're doing the right thing. You used to just run. You're not running. I'm proud of you."

Jess's brain was still fuzzy from the beer, but he thought that maybe his Grandpa Tony had been right about everything after all.

* * *

**Teaser: **_"I wasn't trying to withhold the muffin, I just wanted to know what happened," Luke argued, matching his tone._

So, that's it. Sort of a filler, but some fun Jess and Lorelai transaction. The last bit has been written for a while, and I really just felt Truncheon needed a formal goodbye. Any speculations on what's going to happen?


	13. So Many Times I've Lied

**A/N:** Oh dear. I am so very sorry about that dreadfully long wait. It's even worse, because this chapter was written any everything. My excuse isn't even good. Valid, sure, but not good. I mean it's not like my cat was suddenly possessed by a demon and started attacking people like that rabbit of Monty Python, and then my friend wanted to eat her to solve the problem so I had to protect her from my hungry friend and defend myself from her pointy teeth as I rushed her to the ministry team at my church to un-demonify her. School started, life ended. Bad excuse. I liked the other one better. We'll go with that. 

Anyway, the worst part is, I can't necessarily promise the next chapter will be up very soon either. Like I said, school started, life ended. Ahem, I mean my cat is possessed... Well, I really hope you like this chapter enough that you'll all forgive me, and hopefully I'll have time to finish the next chapter soon.

Oh, and I'm officially putting Lost on temporary hiatus. I have the last chapter half-written, but I need time to finish it and tie everything up properly. Sorry.

Thank you all you wonderful people, for putting up with me, and especially to those who yelled at me via review to update. Reviews really do make me update faster.

**Disclaimer:** Same old, same old.

* * *

Lorelai stormed into the diner and huffed loudly as she sat down at the counter. Jess and Rory followed at a slower pace, Rory waddling comically. Luke looked up at the entrance.

"What's wrong?" he asked Lorelai.

"I am so mad at Taylor!" she cried. "I need coffee. Angry coffee, with a side of homicidal muffin."

Luke looked at Rory, who was being helped by Jess into the seat next to Lorelai. "What happened at the meeting?"

"Taylor changed the rules for historical buildings again," Rory explained as Lorelai seethed. "Now Mom has to take him on a walkthrough of the Dragonfly and he's going to tell her everything she needs to fix."

"Like he has the right to tell me how to run my inn!" Lorelai yelled indignatly. "This is abuse of power! This is an abomination! Where is my killer muffin?"

Luke jumped at her tone, and turned to get her a muffin, but found Jess standing next to him, already handing her a plate with two blueberry muffins and a cup of coffee. Lorelai took them without thanks and began angrily chewing on one of the muffins. Jess rolled his eyes at Luke.

"You really think it's safe to withold things from her right now?" he asked quietly.

"I wasn't trying to withold the muffin, I just wanted to know what happened," Luke argued, matching his tone.

"Priorities, man," Jess admonished, shaking his head and circling the counter to rejoin Rory.

Lorelai swallowed and continued her rant. "That's not even the worst part," she cried. "Oh no. I told him it wasn't fair. I stood up for my rights and told him I will not stand in the back of the bus!"

"That's very Rosa Parks of you."

"And he looked at me with this condecending, historicaler-than-thou expression on his face and said," Lorelai imitated his voice by adapting a deep, nasal tone, " 'You know nothing about the history of this town, young lady, and you will do as you're told.' Do as I'm told? Who does he think he is, my father? Augh, I want to stab a fork in his side and feed him to the squirrels."

"Mm, the squirrels wouldn't eat him," Jess said regretfully. "Swans might," he added helpfully.

Lorelai sighed, calming down. "Okay," she said softly. "I'm gonna head home. See you there?" she said to Luke, who nodded. She said goodbye to Rory and Jess and left with the coffee and plate of muffins in hand.

"We should go too," Rory said, heaving herself off the stool. "See you tomorrow, Luke!"

"Bye," Luke waved as Rory and Jess headed for home. He sighed, and finished up in the diner, knowing full well he was in for another rant when he got home.

---

Lorelai flipped through channels disinterestedly, keeping the volume low so she wouldn't wake April. There was nothing on she was remotely interested in, mostly because she was still so mad at Taylor. Too mad to sleep, either. That's when she heard a very soft knock on the front door. She shuffled over to open it, confused and curious.

"Jess?"

He smirked at her, clad in his denim jacket. "Hey."

"It's one in the morning," she informed him.

"Grab a jacket."

"What? Why?"

He had a spark of michief in his eye, and excitement on his face. "Just do it."

She couldn't know why she did it, but she obeyed. Soon she was out patrolling the streets with her daughter's husband, the boy she'd once thought she'd never feel anything but hatred towards. "What are we doing?" she asked finally, as they approached the middle of town.

Jess turned to her, still walking at a brisk pace. "Alright, you should know that I am about to let you into my inner sanctum of hooliganisms."

"What?" Lorelai asked, flattered and excited.

"Now, I haven't done this in a while," Jess prefaced as a disclaimer, "but this town is the most fun to prank."

"Hah, I can imagine."

"And you must swear not to tell anyone about this. Ever. It's part of the hooligan code."

"No one?" Lorelai had a few misgivings about that.

"Rory and Luke will find out, I guarantee it," Jess said. "But you can't tell them. You can't even confirm after they find out. Just smirk. They'll know, but you won't have broken the code." He stopped in his tracks, touching her arm to stop her too and to get her attention. "And it is the code. Otherwise you don't get to be a hooligan and I'll take you home now."

Lorelai shifted on her feet for a moment. "Okay," she blurted. "I won't tell."

"Good," Jess nodded shortly, and continued on his brisk pace.

"So what are we doing?"

"We're getting back at Taylor for you," he said simply.

"Ooh," Lorelai said, intrigued. "How?"

"You'll see."

They'd reached the diner, but instead of using the front door, Jess lead her around to the back. He didn't have a key to the storeroom door, so he smoothly picked the lock and they entered in silence.

"Why are we here?" Lorelai whispered.

"No one's here," Jess said at normal volume. "You don't need to whisper. Don't turn on the lights, though," he said as she reached for the switch. "That would attrack attention."

"Okay." She pulled her hand away. "Now answer my question."

"We're here," Jess began pointedly, "because we need tools. And because it's the perfect central for what we're doing."

"Which is...?"

Jess smiled maliciously. "A little re-organizing."

Lorelai gasped. "Of what?"

"I was thinking we start with the market, and then do the soda place if that goes well."

Lorelai matched Jess's evil grin. "Oh yeah. So what are the tools for?"

"If we have time, I want to turn the Soda Shoppe sign upside down."

"I love the way you think!"

"You do?" Jess was slightly disturbed by this piece of knowledge.

Lorelai paused. "Oddly, yes."

"Alright then. Grab a power drill."

---

Rory sighed, then moaned in pain, growling obsenities under her breath. "Jess!" she screamed in anger. He wouldn't pick up his phone, and she had no earthly idea where he was. So she called her mother's house. She lived only a few houses away, Lorelai could get here quickly if her husband didn't want to witness the birth of their child.

"Hello?" The groggy voice was not her mother's.

"Luke?" Rory said, confused, her voice slightly strangled from pain.

"Rory?" now Luke's voice was concerned, and even a little panicked. "What's going on? Are you okay? How's the baby?"

"Jess is gone, I'm okay except for the pain thing, and the baby is ready to make it's grand entrance. Is my mom there?"

"Yeah - oh. Actually, she's not. Let me check downstairs." There was a short pause as Luke tumbled out of bed and down the stairs. "She's not here either. Let me try her cell."

"No, no," Rory interrupted as another contraction came on. "Can you come? I need you to take me to the hospital. We'll call the bastards from there."

"The who?"

"Mom and Jess!"

"Of course, sorry, I'll be right there."

Luke hung up the phone and walked into Rory's old bedroom, now April's, where April was asleep. He shook her gently and she rolled over.

"Dad?"

"Hey, hon. Do you know where Lorelai is?"

"I heard the door close while I was reading, but that was at like one or something. What time is it now?"

"Five," Luke answered. "You think she went out?"

"Maybe," April responded. "But I didn't see headlights, so she must've walked."

"Okay, well I'm going to try to call her. Can you please call her too?"

"What?"

"I have to go. I need you to watch the kids."

"Where are you going?"

"Rory's having the baby, she needs me to take her to the hospital."

April sat straight up. "What? I want to come!"

"Get the kids ready," Luke said soothingly. "I'll tell Lorelai to come get you. Unless you reach her on her cell before me, in which case you tell her."

"Okay," April said, rolling out of bed and searching for her jeans. "Wait, why can't Jess take Rory?"

"Your cousin appears to be awol."

"Uh oh. Rory's going to kill him."

"Probably. See you, kid."

"Bye, Dad! Tell Rory I'll be there soon!"

"I will." And with that, Luke left the house, got in his truck, and raced to get Rory to the hospital.

---

Lorelai's cell phone went off. "Crap!" she hissed. Jess glared at her from his station at the top of the ladder. "I'm sorry!" she cried softly, fumbling to turn it off. They were almost done with the sign. Their handiwork was impressive, if she did say so herself, and they'd managed to turn not only the Soda Shoppe sign upside down, but the Doose's Market sign too. She stopped when she saw Luke's name flashing on her screen. "Hold on," she hissed to Jess, who rolled his eyes. He'd left his phone in the diner. She was such an amateur hooligan. "Hello?"

"Your daughter's in labor, where are you?"

"What?" Lorelai cried. Jess shushed her.

"Rory's in labor, and you and Jess have gone missing. Where are you? And do you know where Jess is?"

"Rory's in labor?"

"What?" Jess cried, louder than Lorelai.

"Yes," answered Luke, curtly. "We're at the hospital now, I have to go. Try to find Jess and get here. Oh, and get April and the kids first."

"Jess is here," Lorelai said frantically, as Jess hurried to get all of their belongings together. "Of course we'll get the kids. Tell Rory I love her and I'll be there soon. Oh, and the same message from Jess."

"Fine."

Luke hung up.

"He's mad at me," Lorelai said sadly as the hurried back into the diner.

"Not as mad as Rory is at me," Jess snapped, dumping the evidence into a heap at the back of the storeroom and coming back out into the diner to grab his cell phone before the rushed back out. Looking at it, he saw he had 12 missed calls, all from Rory. The thought of her desperately trying to reach him as she went into labor with his child made him feel slightly sick. "This isn't how it was supposed to happen," he mumbled to himself as they near-ran down the street. "I was supposed to drive her to the hospital. Dammit!"

Lorelai put a hand on his shoulder, not knowing what to say.

---

Withing ten mintues, Lorelai was pulling the Jeep full of people into the hospital parking lot. Jess jumped out before she'd even slowed down significantly and rushed right into the hospital.

"Where is she?" he yelled, seeing Luke in the waiting room.

Luke stared at him. "Where are Lorelai and the kids?"

"Parking, stopping, how the hell should I know, where is my wife?" Jess demanded.

Luke pointed, and Jess took off. He rushed into the room Luke had pointed at, and Rory's face went from pure fury to intense relief at his arrival. "Rory," he cried, taking her hand quickly. "I'm so sorry. How are you?"

"Better now that you're here," Rory said. "I'll be very, very mad at you when this is all over, but for now I'm just so happy to see you."

"Fair enough," said Jess, laughing weakly.

Lorelai hurried into the waiting rom, carrying Molly and followed closely by April, who had Ella in one arm and Nathan's hand in the other.

"How is she?" she asked Luke.

"She's fine. Jess is here, finally."

"I know, I brought him, he jumped out of the car."

Luke looked at her. "Where were you?"

"Oh." Lorelai paused. "I was out, taking out some anger."

"For four hours?"

"Yes, well, I was very angry."

"You almost missed the birth of your first grandchild."

"Never! I'm here. I made it. Where's Rory?"

Luke led the group into Rory's room.

"Mom! You're here!"

"Yeah, babe, I drove Jess and the kids," Lorelai said, stroking Rory's hair back from her face with the hand she wasn't using to hold Molly.

"Ooh!" Rory cried, making a face and cutting off the circulation in Jess's hand. "More pain! Lots of pain!"

"You're okay, sweetie, it'll be over soon," Luke said encouragingly.

Lorelai was looking around the room. "Where are the ice chips?" she demanded.

A nurse entered the room. "Oh, hello," she said cheerfully to the new arrivals. "Are you the family?" They answered the affirmative and the nurse turned to Jess. "Are you the husband?" Jess nodded. "Alright, then, Mr. and Mrs. Mariano, I think it's time to go in. The rest of you can wait in the waiting room until it's over."

They started wheeling Rory's bed out of the room, and she held tightly to Jess's hand. Looking up at him with anticipation she whispered, "Ready, set, go."

---

"She's beautiful," Luke mumbled softly.

"She's perfect," Lorelai agreed, tears welling into her eyes. "And she's finally here."

"Tell me about it," Jess said, coming up behind them to stare through the window again. "No more pregnant Rory. Now all I have to deal with is post-pregnant Rory."

"My sympathies," Luke muttered. Lorelai smacked him.

"So do you like her?" Lorelai asked Jess. Jess smirked. "Ooh! Hooligan code! I know this one!" Luke stared at her and she grinned proudly. Turning back to Jess she asked, "Did you name her yet?"

"We were thinking about Taylor."

Luke and Lorelai both smacked him and he couldn't help but smile.

"Not funny," Lorelai admonished.

"Lorelai Elyssabeth," Jess said, gazing at the baby. "After her two grandmothers."

Lorelai welled up again. "Aw," she squeaked, then turned to hide her face in Luke's chest.

"Lyssa for short," Jess added.

"That's creative," Luke said.

"I like it," decided Lorelai, emerging from Luke's shirt.

Jess smiled at his daugther. "Me too," he whispered.

---

Rory gasped suddenly as they walked into Luke's a few days later. "Coffee!" She screeched.

"What?" Jess asked, confused, as he placed Lyssa's carrier on a table and sat down.

"I get to drink Luke's coffee!" Rory exclaimed. "Cafienated!"

"I don't think you need it," Jess told her. She made a face at him.

Luke appeared next to their table.

"Woah," said Jess. "What are you, Jack-in-the-box?"

Luke made a face at him very similar to the one Rory had recently bestowed on him. "What can I get you?" he asked Rory.

"Pancakes with blueberries, eggs with bacon, and lots and lots of coffee with cafiene!" Rory ordered enthusiastically.

"Eggs and sasauge for me," Jess requested.

"And Lyssa's only a few days old, so she can't eat real food," Rory added. Luke smiled down at the sleeping baby, then went to make their food.

Lorelai entered the diner and sat down with Rory and Jess. "Baby!" she cried, peering into the carrier.

"Hi, Mom, nice to see you too," Rory said. Lorelai turned to her and smiled.

"Hi, sweets," she said. "And hi, hoodlum," she added to Jess, who nodded in apreciation of the aknowledgement. "Luke, I need food!" she yelled into the back.

Luke emerged from the kitchen. "Don't yell in my establishment," he scolded her.

"But I'm your wife," Lorelai argued. Luke rolled his eyes and went back into the kitchen.

Just then, Taylor marched indignatly into the diner. "Luke," he called.

Luke emerged again. "What, Taylor?"

"Where is that hoodlum nephew of yours?" Taylor demanded.

Luke pointed. "Right behind you."

Taylor spun around and Jess waved at him.

"You," Taylor began, pointing at him, "are in big trouble, young man."

"Yeah?" Jess asked casually.

"Why is he in trouble, Taylor?" Luke asked, coming out from behind the counter.

"My entire market and my Soda Shoppe are in complete and total chaos, and it's all his fault!" Taylor accused.

Lorelai clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud and Taylor turned on her.

"Or was it you?" he asked her. "You're looking very suspicious sitting there, and you were very angry at the town meeting. Did you stoop to breaking into my places of buisness and defacing my property?"

"What was defaced?" Luke asked.

"Well...nothing technically, but nothing's where it should be and my signs are upside down!"

Lorelai and Jess gazed evenly at him with identical innocent expressions on their faces.

Luke had had enough. "Get out, Taylor." he said.

"What?" Taylor asked, surprised.

"Get out of my diner, you're disturbing my customers and my family. Get out."

"Fine," said Tayloer indignatly, then left.

Rory was looking at her mother and husband in disbelief. "I am appalled," she informed them as they both smirked at her. "_That's_ what you two were doing when I went into labor?"

Neither said a word. They simply sat there, smirking. Rory shook her head, appalled.

* * *

**Teaser:** _She was getting identical looks of horror from the men in front of her and she snickered in amusement._

And this time I'm telling the truth.

Reviews, please?


	14. Hiatus

I'm so sorry, guys. You have no idea. It's hard for me to do this, but I need to put Corner of Your Heart on hiatus. I really wanted to have at least one more chapter done before I did this, but I've just lost it. I lost all inspiration for it, and for all Jess/Rory for that matter. I'm so so so so very very sorry! The good news comes in two, one is good for me and one is good for everyone. Firstly, one of the reasons I've had very little fanfiction recently is because I've gotten more inspiration and muse for my real stories I'm writing (completely out of my own head and everything!), which is really good for me. Secondly, I AM still writing fanfiction! Mostly oneshots, but I've been having inspiration for Twilight and Narnia fics, so if you're a fan of either (especially if you love Edmund and Alice/Jasper, but not limited to them), watch for my new stuff! Again, really super sorry, guys. I hope you'll all understand.

Also, check out my youtube, because video editing is a big passion of mine right now and you might like it. /coloredwords.

As a bit of a parting gift, several months ago, I made the opening credits for Corner of Your Hearts. Here: /watch?vUzKPmkmSGbM

Thanks,

Nee

P.S. I may look for a co-writer at some point, but for now I'm just absolutely drained of inspiration.


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